At first glance, many will fail to see why my main cause is electoral reform for my country, Canada.

In North America, the electoral system is simplistic to the point of absurdity. It may have looked good to those who wanted anything other than a king, but it needs re-evaluating. It is called First Past the Post here, and Winner Take All in the USA.

A more democratic system, which much of the planet uses, is Proportional Representative or PR.

PR is not a system that can be taken down, dusted off, and implemented. There are several different systems identified as PR. The one thing that they all have in common is the desire to have a voters' wishes and dreams represented in Parliament. To quote John Adams, one of the founding fathers of the US, "Parliament should be an exact portrait, in miniature, of the people at large, as it should be think, feel, reason, and act like them. " This can only happen in a PR system.

In a current North American election, five candidates may run. One gets 24% of the vote, the other four get 19% each: the first one wins, even though 76% of the voters voted for someone else. The winning party claims a mandate even with a minority of the total votes. Is this just? No, it is not.

This is a complex issue that needs careful consideration, but its adoption and implementation will have immediate and profound influence on the course of a country's actions, including the addressing of individual and environmental concerns.

Why is this an important environmental issue? I think that Terra has no hope of survival if we leave its fate in the hands of corporate interests - corporate interests that have control of the elected politicians, who do not represent the public. Pollution will only be addressed when we, the people, demand it at the polls.

If you live in the United States, Great Britain, India, or one of several other places, we have something in common. Let's get rid of FPTP and build a democracy that makes sense.

For more information visit my newspaper articles or some of these excellent web sites for extensive coverage.