Canadians elected a Liberal Government that campaigned on replacing out inequitable and antiquated winner-take-all electoral system.
They started the process of determining how best to modernize our democracy but pulled the plug without good reason before getting anywhere.
Canada needs a better voting system. Because it’s 2017.
This is the twenty-eighth article in the Whoa!Canada: Proportional Representation Series During the 2015 election, Mr. Trudeau unequivocally promised to make 2015 the last First Past The Post election. If elected, “We will make every vote count.” It’s no secret Fair Vote Canada has been using the catchphrase “make every vote count” to describe Proportional Representation for years. In fact,…
This is the twenty-eighth article in the Whoa!Canada: Proportional Representation Series
During the 2015 election, Mr. Trudeau unequivocally promised to make 2015 the last First Past The Post election. If elected,
“We will make every vote count.”
It’s no secret Fair Vote Canada has been using the catchphrase “make every vote count” to describe Proportional Representation for years. In fact, they launched their “Make Every Vote Count Campaign” in 2013. If you follow the link you’ll see the Hon. Stéphane Dion on the podium for the announcement. Another LPC cabinet minister, the Hon. Carolyn Bennett is on the Fair Vote Canada Board. Certainly my Liberals For Fair Voting friends were aware of this when I helped them make a little video we called “The Foundation” to help them sell Resolution 31 at their 2014 Policy Convention. Resolution 31 was duly adopted by the Liberal Party and in fact formed the basis of Mr. Trudeau’s electoral reform campaign promise.
Mr. Trudeau confirmed his electoral reform promise in the Throne Speech, and (although it took a little nudging) an all party Electoral Reform Parliamentary Committee was formed. Because of the tight time frame, the committee worked through the summer, taking evidence from experts in Canada and around the world. And the Committee, like Minister Monsef, travelled across Canada in a whirlwind tour.
No doubt because the ERRE Consultation was woefully underfunded, the Committee only managed a single stop in Ontario. No money was spent on advertising, and there was little advance notice, but in spite of the main stream media’s absolute failure to cover it, all the Electoral Reform events were full of citizens. A preponderance of citizens and experts supported some form of Proportional Representation. Then the ERRE Committee submitted a consensus report calling for some form of Proportional Representation and a Referendum. But the government was not wildly happy to see such an impossible outcome. And so mydemocracy.ca was born. Do you know, the government spent more money sending postcards telling people to participate in a seriously problematic survey that inspired more parody than response. While the Honourable Ms. Gould’s talking points are intended to make us believe the postcard survey was a bug duccess, the reality is 360,000 Canadians is a ridiculously low response rate for a country with upward of 15 million voters.
But the Liberal Party holds a majority in Parliament, and we all know a majority government can pass (or kill) any law it wants. No consensus is required, even when the “majority” is based on the votes of only 39%. That is, after all, how the system we currently use works. (Part of why it so badly needs modernization.)
The Liberal Party hasn’t managed to articulate a single good reason for a Prime Minister elected on promises of transparency and more democratic governance to squash the promised democratic process this way. Even if Prime Minister Trudeau decided he doesn’t want electoral reform, he could still have allowed the process to run its democratic course to the finish. The same power that allows the plug to be pulled prematurely now could have been used to whip the vote at the eleventh hour.
The only reason for breaking this promise in such an odious way that I can imagine isthe Prime Minister and the Liberal powers that be have noticed the growing interest, support and commitment Canadians are developing in electoral reform, in spite of everything.
I understand the PM was grilled about electoral reform at every single stop on his recent cross country tour. Were those in the Liberal power structure getting nervous that enough public backing might just get Proportional Representation legislation through Parliament and into Law?
With all the Liberal talk of values and electoral reform, the one word that never seemed to come up was fairness. No system that assigns 100% of the power to a party winning 39% (or less) votes can be considered fair. And in my experience, Canadians value fairness. My Liberals for Fair Voting friends know know very well they benefit from the proportionality inherent in our existing winner-take-all system. Yet they don’t think it’s fair that so many other Canadians get little or no democratic representation.
There is still time to draft electoral reform legislation (the ERRE Committee could surely manage it) and get it through with enough time for Elections Canada to implement a new system in 2019. Canadians don’t need to understand the electoral math to know our First Past The Post system is not working for a majority of Canadians. How can a nation that prides itself on fairness continue to cling to a winner-take-all system that’s inherently unfair?
https://www.facebook.com/events/885031191552272/
Contact:
Respectfully express your opinion, tell them we’ll #seeyousaturday
Cross Canada Protest Times
Atlantic 15:00
Eastern 14:00
Central 13:00
Mountain/SK 12:00
Pacific 11:00
@JustinTrudeau and the #LPC promised that 2015 would be our last #FPTP election. #PerformOnReform
https://www.facebook.com/events/885031191552272/
e-600 (Electoral system)
Lower the voting age to 16
The Petition is open for signature until February 8, 2017, at 12:34 p.m. (EDT)
e-613 (Electoral system)
Achieving gender balance in Parliament
The Petition is open for signature until February 16, 2017, at 11:34 a.m. (EDT)
e-616 (Electoral system)
Encouraging the Liberal Government to get ERRE back on track (Nathan Cullen)
The Petition is open for signature until March 2, 2017, at 11:20 a.m. (EDT)
e-678 (Electoral system)
Implement Mixed Member Proportional Representation (Kennedy Stewart)
The Petition is open for signature until March 24, 2017, at 9:26 a.m. (EDT)
Use the Green Party of Canada tool to send a message:
A Broken Promise to Canada
Change.org: Open Letter to Liberal MPs Re: Electoral Reform
Read More:
Read the Liberal Electoral Reform Report from 1921:
SPECIAL COMMITTEE APPOINTED TO CONSIDER THE SUBJECT OF
Proportional Representation AND THE SUBJECT OF THE SINGLE TRANSFERABLE OR PREFERENTIAL VOTE (pdf)
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• Proportional Representation for Canada
Today is the American inauguration.
I know a lot of people have serious concerns, but the fact remains, the new administration was the result of the American winner-take-all election.
If you’re a Democratic supporter and the system didn’t work for you, it is time to see about fixing it. Fighting among yourselves won’t get you anywhere, it is time to find common ground. Complaints might make you feel better but working for productive change would be better. Seek out fairvote.org or see what you can do to help @lessig with campaign finance reform. If you want change, now is the time to knuckle down and work for it.
Feuds are counterproductive, so I recommend treating those whose politics you disagree with with respect, even if you think they don’t deserve it, because the only good way to real change that will stand the test of time is through dialogue and working together. The shape of your country’s future depends on it.
I know a lot of people are happy with the election result. You were unhappy during the last administration, and now you’re on the winning side. But no matter what your reasons for voting the way you did, chances are good that you are going to be seeing a lot of broken promises as your newly elected President finds his way, but that’s how it works. Even when your team wins in winner-take-all politics, chances are you are going to have to lobby the government to actually deliver on the promises that got your vote. If you want the system to deliver, now is the time to knuckle down and work for it.
Feuds are counterproductive, so I recommend treating those whose politics you disagree with with respect, even if you think they don’t deserve it, because the only good way to real change that will stand the test of time is through dialogue and working together. The shape of your country’s future depends on it.
I know a lot of people are unhappy, and would have been unhappy, no matter whether Mr. Trump or Mrs Clinton won. These are the citizens who support other parties, third parties, or are so disgusted with the unfairness of the system they support none. Nearly half of your eligible voters didn’t vote at all; I imagine many of them have bought into the idea that voting for what they wanted would have been futile. Not voting doesn’t get you what you want, it lets those who did decide your fate. If the system doesn’t work for you, it is time to see about fixing it. Complaints might make you feel better but working for productive change would be better. Seek out fairvote.org or see what you can do to help @lessig with campaign finance reform. Or get involved with the party of your choice to see what you can do to help it’s candidate(s) get elected next time there is an election.
Feuds are counter-productive, so I recommend treating those whose politics you disagree with with respect, even if you think they don’t deserve it, because the only good way to real change that will stand the test of time is through dialogue and working together. The shape of your country’s future depends on it.
Democracy shouldn’t be a team sport.
It shouldn’t divide citizens into “us” and “them.”
To make democracy work, people have to work together, for the good of all. For the public good. Remember the golden rule and stay classy.
Good luck to you all.
Today is the American inauguration.
I know a lot of people have serious concerns, but the fact remains, the new administration was the result of the American winner-take-all election.
If you’re a Democratic supporter and the system didn’t work for you, it is time to see about fixing it. Fighting among yourselves won’t get you anywhere, it is time to find common ground. Complaints might make you feel better but working for productive change would be better. Seek out fairvote.org or see what you can do to help @lessig with campaign finance reform. If you want change, now is the time to knuckle down and work for it.
Feuds are counterproductive, so I recommend treating those whose politics you disagree with with respect, even if you think they don’t deserve it, because the only good way to real change that will stand the test of time is through dialogue and working together. The shape of your country’s future depends on it.
I know a lot of people are happy with the election result. You were unhappy during the last administration, and now you’re on the winning side. But no matter what your reasons for voting the way you did, chances are good that you are going to be seeing a lot of broken promises as your newly elected President finds his way, but that’s how it works. Even when your team wins in winner-take-all politics, chances are you are going to have to lobby the government to actually deliver on the promises that got your vote. If you want the system to deliver, now is the time to knuckle down and work for it.
Feuds are counterproductive, so I recommend treating those whose politics you disagree with with respect, even if you think they don’t deserve it, because the only good way to real change that will stand the test of time is through dialogue and working together. The shape of your country’s future depends on it.
I know a lot of people are unhappy, and would have been unhappy, no matter whether Mr. Trump or Mrs Clinton won. These are the citizens who support other parties, third parties, or are so disgusted with the unfairness of the system they support none. Nearly half of your eligible voters didn’t vote at all; I imagine many of them have bought into the idea that voting for what they wanted would have been futile. Not voting doesn’t get you what you want, it lets those who did decide your fate. If the system doesn’t work for you, it is time to see about fixing it. Complaints might make you feel better but working for productive change would be better. Seek out fairvote.org or see what you can do to help @lessig with campaign finance reform. Or get involved with the party of your choice to see what you can do to help it’s candidate(s) get elected next time there is an election.
Feuds are counter-productive, so I recommend treating those whose politics you disagree with with respect, even if you think they don’t deserve it, because the only good way to real change that will stand the test of time is through dialogue and working together. The shape of your country’s future depends on it.
Democracy shouldn’t be a team sport.
It shouldn’t divide citizens into “us” and “them.”
To make democracy work, people have to work together, for the good of all. For the public good. Remember the golden rule and stay classy.
Good luck to you all.
Do you use the Internet? Then you need to see “Stop Watching Us”
is a website that allows American citizens to demand an end to mass suspicionless surveillance.
Citizens of other nations need to demand the same of our own governments, and that our governments withdraw from participation and/or complicity in mass suspicionless surveillance of its own citizens.
In Canada we can call on our MP to stand against costly online spying
You can read the International Principles on the Application of Human Rights to Communications Surveillance in 30 languages (and people in other countries can find resources) at https://necessaryandproportionate.org
