Fords Attack on Local Democracy in Toronto
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- Published on Sunday, 29 November -0001 16:00
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A Socialist Project e-bulletin ... No. 1648 ... August 8, 2018
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Ford’s Attack on Local Democracy in Toronto
Socialist Project
Ontario’s new Conservative government, under the leadership of Premier Doug Ford, has launched a cynical attack on local democracy and government in Toronto.
Cutting by almost half the numbers of wards and elected representatives in the middle of an election campaign undermines the electoral process itself. It’s the kind of thing we would expect from an authoritarian regime and it would be roundly denounced if it were imposed in another country. It undermines the potential for Torontonians to fairly debate and make decisions that affect social, economic and political life in the city.
Democracy is not about "economic efficiency." It is about providing for free and open debate and discussion between competing points of... view in order to make decisions. According to Ford’s logic, why stop at getting rid of half of city council? Wouldn’t it would be more ‘efficient’ to get rid of elected representatives entirely? Certainly, no one is in favour of ‘waste’. But a city without adequate representation, active citizenship and building local power is not the kind of city we want to live in.
