Leong: Politicians ought to cease outsourcing robust selections to voters

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Direct democracy is an important a part of our political system.

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During the last half-century, Canadians have seen it in motion just a few occasions.

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At every of these occasions — Quebec referendums on separation in 1980 an 1995, and a nationwide referendum on proposed adjustments to the Structure — electors had been requested to offer politically earth-shaking solutions on issues so large, politicians weren’t allowed to behave with out consulting the folks first.

In newer time, nevertheless, politicians have appeared far too prepared to dump their tasks onto the folks when it will have been completely inside their rights to behave and take what they believed to be the right plan of action.

The most recent instance of this was on full show throughout this 12 months’s Alberta election, the place one of many United Conservative Get together’s marquee election guarantees, the Taxpayer Safety Modification Act, would require a referendum earlier than any type of revenue tax improve.

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The present legislation already requires a referendum to introduce a provincial gross sales tax.

On the one hand, this sounds and feels actually noble.

That is actually energy to the folks, the place we might be given the chance to assist the federal government decide concerning the province’s funds.

Alternatively, it’s a complete cop-out.

The purpose of electing politicians to serve at metropolis corridor, in provincial legislatures or in Parliament in Ottawa is to entrust our neighbours to behave in our stead in the most effective pursuits of our communities.

We ship them to those necessary establishments to maintain monitor of the trivialities of working the municipality, province or nation and they’re actually paid to absorb all of the necessary info and make selections that have an effect on everybody.

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They’re those who’re speculated to be accustomed to revenues and bills.

We delegate to them the duty of making annual budgets and doing their finest to seek out some type of fiscal steadiness whereas conserving the lights on.

To succeed in that steadiness, tax charges and tax techniques might sometimes have to vary. It doesn’t all the time work out the way in which some folks need — and generally, the fitting determination isn’t the favored one.

And if we actually dislike what the federal government is doing, all of us have our say on the poll field.

Tough selections can result in tough penalties — however that’s politics

That is one thing the final federal Progressive Conservative authorities, which took energy in 1984, realized in 1993.

Considered one of that authorities’s legacies was the introduction of the Items and Service Tax.

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It was much-reviled from Day 1 as a result of it was a tax everybody may see on the money register — despite the fact that then, as now, it didn’t apply to such important items as staple groceries.

Its predecessor, the Producer’s Gross sales Tax, was hidden from customers, wasn’t evenly utilized throughout the financial system and was considered a aggressive drawback for Canadian corporations whose enterprise it was to fabricate items.

The GST was so controversial, the then-opposition Liberals made a degree of promising to repeal it ought to they be elected — and after they had been, they couldn’t eliminate it. It seems the GST was a stable determination in any case.

As for the PC celebration, the GST was one in all various issues that despatched the once-storied Canadian political establishment to its worst political defeat.

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That’s how politics can work generally.

The silliest factor about enshrining into legislation the necessity to maintain a referendum to extend taxes is that the federal government may simply as simply repeal such a rule. The entire thing is pointless. It’s actually an act.

I can definitely perceive the necessity for a referendum to resolve some type of constitutional disaster or maybe for one thing just like the creation of an Alberta pension plan, which has the potential to make life-changing impacts on the longer term revenue of retirees on this province.

However for something much less, it’s merely the recourse of politicians who’re afraid of robust selections.

If you happen to’re an elected official, you actually shouldn’t make the folks do your routine soiled be just right for you.

rleong@postmedia.com

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