Net Petitions And Referenda?

Tom West asks: "In Canada, the leading opposition party, the Canadian Alliance has proposed that the government be legally obligated to hold a referendum on any issue that has a petition with at least 3% of the electorate signing. In response, 'This Hour has 22 Minutes', a political comedy show, has started a net petition demanding a referendum to have Parliament force Stockwell Day, leader of the Canadian Alliance, to change his name to 'Doris'. The petition started on Monday and has proceeded mostly on word of mouth (until today, when it hit just about every major newspaper (like this one from Globe and Mail). As of today, over 500,000 people have signed, closing quickly on double the number of people required. Humourous indeed, but what does this mean for the possibility of future petitions?"

"If gaining names and addresses of people to support any proposition, ludicrous or not, is this easy, does this mean an end for using petitions to force referenda, as is common in many states?

While absurd referenda are unlikely to pass, what happens when they get put on the ballot? Incendiary issues, normally silent because their few supporters are too scattered to get heard, can suddenly see their issues gain widespread attention. Regardless of the impossibility of passing, a lot of damage to the community could be occur."