Parliament has added another 30 MPs, costing an additional $1.44 million each or $43 million.
This expenditure was passed lightning-fast by the Senate. We will now have 338 MPs, representing 35 million people or 104,000 constituents each. The Senate gave no sober second thought to this expenditure.
The United States have 314 million people and 435 federal representatives, or 722,000 constituents each. They limit the proliferation of representatives to 435 and reapportion them based on population. They also have 100 Senators who represent 3.14 million people each. In comparison to Canada, U.S. politicians are effectively the better buy.
Our current form of government lends itself to dictatorial power. It makes a mockery of the system, where great numbers of powerless MPs are elected and politically toady Senators are appointed to sycophantically bless a prime minister’s agenda.
The politicians are in a conflict of interest; they won’t limit their costly, inefficient use of the political system.
We need more services and fewer politicians. It is time the people took back the power of governance.
Harry Atkinson
Sidney