Natives get their own seats in the House

Another ill-advised electoral reform proposed by the Liberal government,

PM won’t rule out seats for natives

OTTAWA – Paul Martin, the Prime Minister, is not ruling out the possibility he may designate specific seats in the House of Commons for aboriginals. Speaking to reporters following a meeting of the federal Cabinet, Mr. Martin said MPs are free to study the merits of such a move.

The report recommends Canada look to the system used in New Zealand, where aboriginals can choose to remain on the national voters’ list or switch to a Maori voters’ list. The number of people on the aboriginal voters’ list is then used to determine the number of seats dedicated to New Zealand’s native population.

Designating specific seats in the House of Commons will do nothing but further aggravate relations between Natives from the rest of society and will lead to “us vs. them” mentality on both sides. Not to mention that it further reinforces the idea that natives across Canada are identical in culture and their needs.

Martin still seems unwilling to reduce the amount expectations that nearly every group has for his government. By not ruling out anything that crosses his desk in a day – in an attempt to widen and capitalize on a wider policy and support base – he has set himself up to disappoint a large portion of the electorate. And if in fact the coming federal election results in a Liberal minority government, Martin will have a difficult time managing the demands of minority governance and those heightened expectations.

All of which will play nicely into the hands of the Conservative party.