National Referendums

Our neighbors to the north

by Dorie Clark

Concerned about Florida voters who couldn't find the right punch holes? How about letting your fellow citizens take an up-or-down vote on the death penalty or a woman's right to choose? That's what the Canadian Alliance, Canada's second-largest political party, is proposing. With Election Day a week and a half away, voters will decide whether to put the Alliance in power -- and face a lot more issues at the ballot box.

The Canadian Alliance, the heir to Canada's now-defunct Reform Party, embodies conservatism Canadian-style. Their call for lower taxes and a beefed-up military evokes their Republican neighbors to the south, but party spokesman Tony Gronow is quick to point out their support for socialized medicine and their belief, despite their stance against same-sex marriage, that "everybody has a right to live the way they want to live and make their own choices."

It's their plan to introduce widespread use of national referendums that's drawing the most fire. In some ways, the appeal is clear. Asks Gronow: "Is it appropriate for 300 people to sit in Ottawa and make decisions that supposedly reflect the desires of 25 million people when [certain] issues have never been discussed with those people?" With referendums, the people would certainly get a voice, but some observers fear the process could be manipulated by special interests or used to the disadvantage of minority groups. Indeed, Gronow suggests that same-sex marriage might be a perfect topic for a national referendum.

Depending how the Alliance fares on November 27, such referendums may become a Canadian way of life. And if it proves popular, the movement -- alluring to small-government types -- may trickle down to the US. (Although 24 states allow ballot initiatives, we currently don't bring measures up for national votes.) "Most European democracies allow for national referenda in some capacity," says Howard Ernst, a ballot-initiative expert and a professor at the US Naval Academy. "The unusual thing is that Canada and the US don't have them."

Dorie Clark can be reached at dclark[a]phx.com