Electoral Reform is Required in Canada Now!

Why do we need electoral reform? Because governance matters!

We need electoral reform through a new electoral system.

Governance refers to the actions and ways of governing. The purpose of governance is to improve the lives of people and move a nation toward prosperity, justice, fairness and cohesion.

Centuries ago, those of Canada’s ancestors were governed by Chiefs, Kings, or Queens. Prosperity and success depended on the wisdom and heart of those rulers.

When Canada came into being in 1867, a parliamentary democratic system was built to pick the best rulers for our new nation.

Sadly, over the generations, our democracy was corrupted and the practice of power is focused on the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO). Members of Parliament (MPs) have attached themselves tightly to the party system of power and mostly choose to go along with that practice.

Are we content to let this broken system stagnate?

Will the PMO continue to rule the land keeping secrets and engaging in often corrupt decision-making? There are many problems with democracy in Canada.

Electoral reform would require us to address corrupt decision-making.

How can we address corrupt decision-making?

The solution is simple: make Parliament matter!

Ensure the representatives of Canadians matter more than the voices of unelected officials appointed by the Prime Minister. We must elect MPs who will stand against this centralization of power.

To do this we have to move away from current patterns of voting.
We need to deliver wider choices and flexibility in choosing MPs.
We need an updated voting system that is transparent and easy to use.

Why first past the post doesn’t work.

Pause with me and reflect on our current system.

If you get the most votes (also known as a plurality) of all the candidates in a riding, you become the Member of Parliament.

The description of this practice is known as first past the post. Consider that this system is most useful if only two serious candidates are running in any given riding.

This never happens anymore in Canada.

Diversity has dramatically increased in Canada since 1867, influencing political party options. Therefore, we currently have five political parties with seats in the House of Commons and two Independent Members of Parliament. Other parties received substantial votes in recent elections but no seats in parliament.

Recent election results have not reflected the mood and choices of most of the country.

Majority governments in Canada have often been elected with less than 40% of the vote. Our last two elections have produced minority governments with the subsequent ruling party getting less than 1/3 of the vote.

And even more troubling, the party winning the most seats, and ultimately power got only the second-highest vote totals in the 2019 and 2021 elections.

Why our present system encourages vote splitting?

The two main parties, Liberals and Conservatives, influence the voting public by portraying only those two parties as choices for the governing party. This creates distortions such as vote splitting where a voter might be convinced to support Liberal or Conservative candidates at the exclusion of their first choice.

Despite this predicament, multiple viewpoints and political parties exist and continue to engage.

When many candidates run in an individual riding, some victory scenarios are troublesome.

Imagine an instance of five candidates competing and four each getting under 20% of the vote. The fifth only needs just over 20% and they would have a plurality and a win!

Note: this is not representative democracy!

Electoral reform is long overdue. Even our current Prime Minister agreed in 2015 that electoral reform is overdue. Too bad that he so dramatically changed his mind once he assumed power.

So which electoral system would be better?

Typically, three common options are considered: Straight Proportional Representation (PR), Mixed Member Proportional (MMP), and Single Transferable Vote (STV).

1. How Straight Proportional Representation works.

In Straight PR, parties submit lists of candidates and then the proportion of the vote equals the proportion of the party-controlled candidates’ list who become MPs.

2. How Mixed Member Proportional works.

Mixed Member Proportional has a hybrid system of PR lists and local MP elections using first past the post in ridings (kind of a half and a half and we have already argued against FPTP).

3. How Single Transferable Vote works.

STV is much more dynamic with voters indicating preferences for individual candidates; voters can choose amongst candidates from the same party, candidates from different parties and even independents.

In STV ridings are often combined and then many members are elected from ridings with common geography. The website fairvote.ca has a great summary.

Under electoral reform, consider this New Electoral System.

My favourite electoral system is STV! This choice is best designed to reflect the people’s true will and fight back against undue party control.

Academics and citizen groups alike have agreed, most notably the British Columbia Citizen’s Assembly on Electoral reform in 2004/2005. (citizensassembly.arts.ubc.ca )

In the referendum of 2005, 58% of people voted for this — sadly, the question required a supermajority of >60% of the vote to be enacted and the opportunity was lost.

And yet the future is now!

Certainly, electoral reform is the path to better governance, real accountability, customization of representation and a Parliament more reflective of Canada and all its diversity. Let’s get to work!