We are fortunate to have a progressive-minded Prime Minister who acknowledges “false majority” voting results.
Our government is open to electoral reform and has reached out to Canadians for their input. Now is our opportunity to make a difference.
An all-party, special parliamentary committee (3 Con, 1GP, 4 Lib, 2 NDP, 1BQ plus the chair) was set up and has been working long and hard at gathering input from Canadians throughout the country. It is a difficult process because the issues are complex but well worth the effort.
Some kind of proportional representation would avoid a winner-take-all approach. Knowing that each vote counts would certainly decrease growing voter apathy. And due to diverse points of view, Parliament would need to make decisions based on thoughtful and constructive compromise, rather than a your-party-against-my-party divisive type of behaviour.
While the U.S. election is still fresh on our minds, let us think about it:
Hillary Clinton: 47.7 per cent of the popular vote
Donald Trump: 47.5 per cent of the vote
Yet winner takes all. Is that really democratic? Do we as Canadians wish to continue with our own current unfair first-past-the-post system? Are we not yet ready to consider possible alternatives?
If interested, one can read Fair Vote Canada’s full submission to the committee. It covers the case for proportional representation and options for a made-in-Canada solution.
Marie-Paule Lacasse