NEWS BRIEFS

Skewed results prompt renewed calls for electoral reform

Erika Meere
CUP Québec Bureau Chief

MONTREAL (CUP) — Supporters of the Green party, NDP, and urban Conservative candidates were among those silenced by Canada’s first-past-the-post voting system, says a citizens’ group calling for a more proportional election process.

A report released by Fair Vote Canada (FVC) on Jan. 24 highlights the discrepancy between the percentage of the popular vote and the number of seats won by each party.

For instance, the report points out, although 18 per cent of voters cast their ballots for the NDP, the party won fewer than 10 per cent of the seats in the House of Commons. Similarly, the 650,000 Canadians (about 4.5 per cent of voters) who voted for the Green party will have no representatives from that party in the House.

The voting system worked in favour of the Conservative party in Alberta, where the party won every seat with only 65 per cent of the popular vote, according to the report. However, the party lost out in urban centres: the nearly half a million Conservative voters in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver could have elected nine Members of Parliament if their votes translated proportionally into seats in the House of Commons.

The Liberal party was underrepresented in the prairie provinces, where its candidates received about three times fewer votes but about 10 times fewer seats than the Conservatives.

Although the organization does not advocate any particular electoral system over another, Larry Gordon, executive director of FVC, said a fairer voting system would ensure that parties are represented proportionally to votes cast, while still allowing for some geographic representation.

“Democracy is a do-it-yourself project,” he said. “We only see reforms when we stand up and demand them.”

Low snow accumulation could spell disaster for maritime fruit farmers

William Wolfe-Wylie
CUP Atlantic Bureau Chief

SACKVILLE, N.B. (CUP) — While some Maritimers are enjoying the opportunity to shed their winter jackets and frolick about in the abnormally mild January weather, others are looking to the melting snow with hesitation and anxiety.

Blueberry farms, which are prevalent throughout New Brunswick, are dependent on snow accumulation to provide insulation from the elements and as a reservoir of water for the spring thaw.

But according to Environment Canada, snow levels are 20 cm below normal for this time of year, and the warm weather is expected to stick around at least until March. Without the insulating layer of snow, a sharp cold snap could freeze the fruit buds that form on the plants at the end of August, destroying an entire crop.

Two years ago, Fred Tuddenham, a fifth generation blueberry farmer near Oak Bay, N.B., lost 50 per cent of his crop because of uncovered buds. Now he’s looking at his bare fields, hoping not to face such heavy losses again.

“The buds haven’t been covered yet,” he said. “We’ve had virtually no snow.”

“-20°C at night would be more normal for this time of year,” said Claude Cote, a spokesman for Environment Canada.

“You can’t do anything about nature,” said Tuddenham.

Admin, CIBC to expand ABM service

As of Feb. 2, the university and CIBC have renewed their partnership to provide ABM services on campus. Part of the exclusive agreement includes an expansion of service.

There will be three CIBC ABMs in University Centre, along with a full-service ABM in the Brodie Centre and a cash-only machine in Fletcher Argue. New cash-only ABMs will be added in Drake and Armes, as well as a full-service ABM in the Continuing Education Complex.

Randall Kinley, executive assistant to the associate vice-president (administration), said that the contract was signed after an agreement to tender showed CIBC to be the best fit for the university.

The new contract will “enhance service with more full-serve and new machines,” said Kinley. He noted that CIBC was the only bank that expressed an interest in increasing the number of ABMs in locations that lose money, in addition to the high-volume University Centre locations.

Each proposal included a $1.50 transaction fee.

Kinley explained that the exclusive agreement will preclude UMSU from hosting alternate cash machines on campus, something previously discussed in council meetings.

Muslim comics reprinted in France

Lauryn Kronick
Special to Canadian
University Press

ARHUS, DENMARK (CUP) — Twelve infamous comics depicting the prophet Mohammad, originally published in Denmark’s Jyllands-Posten, were reprinted in a French newspaper Wednesday.

The reason for publishing the comics in the France Soir was to demonstrate that there was no intention of being racist or discriminatory against Muslims, according to editor Serge Faubert.

“Some are funny, others less so. That’s it. That is why we have decided to publish them,” wrote Faubert in a commentary. “No, we will never apologize for being free to speak, to think and to believe.”

The France Soir has yet to receive comment from any Muslim media, authority or government, but it will be no surprise if the threats and boycotts that have been aimed at Denmark over the past few days transfer over to Paris.

Meanwhile, anger directed at the Danish newspaper that originally published the contentious material has yet to subside. Yesterday, a bomb threat at the Jyllands-Posten office in Arhus caused all staff to evacuate the building.

According to the newspaper, a call was received at the Arhus branch with a man speaking “broken English” insinuating there was a bomb on the premises. The staff returned to their offices that evening after bomb-sniffing dogs scoured the area.

Despite Jyllands-Posten’s apology, it is apparent that protesting migh not stop any time soon. Signs boycotting Danish products are still posted in Muslim food stores and Denmark’s flag continues to be set ablaze in countries across the world.