1919: "Most Pressing Problem - improvement of our democratic system"

From the Toronto Star,

reprinted in the Edmonton Bulletin, August 20, 1919

"The most pressing of our national problems is the restoration of public confidence in our governing bodies.

That problem can be solved only by prompt action of social reform and by the improvement of our democratic system. The charge that it takes a generation to get through such a sane measure as mothers' pensions is well founded.

Legislatures must move more rapidly or be superseded. A dozen reforms similar in nature to mothers' pensions are knocking at the door. Insurance against old age, against sickness and unemployment, as well s the adjustment of wages and the cost of living, urgently require consideration.

And the Senate must be popularized, and

some form of proportional representation introduced."

One hundred years later, we are still wanting the same things.

Thanks for reading.

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