In the post-election chatter about Western alienation, the role played by our non-proportional voting system in excluding much of western Canada from government needs to be acknowledged. “First-past-the-post exacerbates regional differences by rewarding parties with a high geographic concentration of votes at the expense of parties whose support is more evenly distributed,” says Fair Vote … Read more
Great news! After two back-to-back false majority governments, Canadians finally have a House of Commons where parties will have to work together, ensuring respect for the views of a broader range of voters. Most Canadians will be relieved that one party with 39 per cent of the popular vote will no longer be able to impose … Read more
Fair Vote Canada applauds the strong positions taken by the NDP and Greens on making action on proportional representation as a condition of support for a minority government. According to an Angus Reid poll done two weeks ago, 77 per cent of Canadians support a move to proportional representation and 70 percent think Prime Minister and Liberal … Read more
Fair Vote Canada is calling on Canada’s political parties to make proportional representation a cornerstone of any climate plan by running a video ad in target ridings, urging voters who are concerned about climate action over the long term to vote for parties and candidates committed to proportional representation. “With first-past-the-post, time and again we’ve seen … Read more
Fair Vote Canada commends the NDP for their commitment to proportional representation in their election platform, as unveiled by Democratic Reform Critic Daniel Blaikie (Elmwood–Transcona, Man.) at Fair Vote Canada’s Annual General meeting. “We congratulate NDP leader Jagmeet Singh (Burnaby South, B.C.) and the NDP for taking a bold position on proportional representation,” says Réal Lavergne, President of … Read more
Fair Vote Canada applauds the commitment of independent MPs Jody Wilson-Raybould (Vancouver Granville, B.C.) and Jane Philpott (Markham-Stouffville, Ont.), running as independents, to champion electoral reform in the 2019 federal election. “Both Philpott and Wilson-Raybould have reiterated what so many Canadians already know, but it takes courage to say,” said Fair Vote Canada’s President, Réal Lavergne. … Read more
In her letter to Liberal MPs, Jody Wilson-Raybould (Vancouver-Granville, B.C.) reminded her colleagues of the promise of “real change” they campaigned on –including proportional representation. The response from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (Papineau, Que.) and most of the Liberal MPs was similar in its high-handedness to their response to the findings of the special parliamentary committee on … Read more
Fair Vote Canada congratulates NDP leader Jagmeet Singh on his win in the Burnaby South by-election. “We look forward to Jagmeet Singh taking his seat in the House of Commons and holding Justin Trudeau to account for his broken promise to Canadians,” says Fair Vote Canada President Réal Lavergne. “We aim to make proportional representation a … Read more
“This Ontario election has shown more than most elections that our First-past-the-post voting system is broken,” says Réal Lavergne, president of Fair Vote Canada. “That’s the way our system works, or more accurately, this is how our system does NOT work, to elect a government that reflects the views of the majority. How are voters supposed … Read more
The revelations about Cambridge Analytica’s use of psychographic targeting to influence elections should be of special concern to Canadians because of our first-past-the-post electoral system and the way it amplifies minor swings in electoral preferences. According to Fair Vote Canada’s President Réal Lavergne, “Canadians have every reason to be worried because of the ease with which results … Read more
