Dear Editor,
Re: “Mayor Trump? It can happen,” News, March 18.
Could Canada elect a Trump? It is less likely. The American constitution, centered on Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness, fosters individualism at the expense of the common good.
Canada’s constitutional focus of Peace, Order and Good Government has nurtured a social order that cushions the callousness of rugged individualism.
For example, inequality in Canada is less severe, but for how much longer?
Stephen Harper moved us into the U.S. orbit endangering Canadian distinctiveness. How very important that we remain Canadians and that new immigrants be introduced to the distinctiveness of Canadian culture and its values.
In addition, Canada can do something very practical and effective to make a Trump phenomenon less likely.
We should change the voting system such that a mayor, for example, cannot gain an election with fewer than a majority of all votes cast. The current first-past-the-post voting system helps extremists attain power.
Nick Loenen
Richmond
