Just wondering...

...but can anybody else remember a case of proportional representation being used as a boogeyman outside of an actual electoral reform referendum?

I ask only because Peter MacKay's plea to keep the Cons' party constitution as is seems to go way over the top in assuming that party supporters will consider it a disastrous possibility to be opposed at all costs:

Equality of Ridings is also our best argument against our political opponents' push for Proportional Representation. Elizabeth May and Jack Layton are already calling for proportional representation in our electoral system.

Conservatives must stand together and oppose the proportional representation system being proposed as a "compromise". If we adopt this system in our party constitution how can we legitimately oppose it as a government?

And I'm not entirely sure we shouldn't be picking up on MacKay's argument, if only to use the Cons' amendment vote as a springboard toward exactly the PR discussion that MacKay seems to fear.