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��back issues [link] Policy Options, Jul-Aug 2001 (Canada politics magazine) **** [PDF articles in such issue (summaries below) --- to give EM folks some idea about what mere mortals are thinking about various election reforms. Canada has the single member district / plurality winner system for electing the Canada House of Commons and the various provincial legislatures.] ------------------------------------------------------------------------ "A conservative case for electoral reform" by Richard Johnston The traditional advantage of a first-past-the-post electoral system is that it provides strong and stable government. By discouraging small parties it is also supposed to encourage a competitive opposition that can credibly replace an unpopular government. At the federal level, Canada has not experienced true bi-polar political competition in roughly a century. Instead, inherently unstable coalitions patched together from widely-dispersed parts of the political spectrum have temporarily displaced the Liberal Party, which continues its stranglehold on the centre. Given the secular increase in the number of political parties, as well as the advantage the current system gives to regional protest parties, effective electoral competition seems less and less likely. Its absence is a likely explanation for declining voter turnout. It may now be time to consider the alternative of proportional representation. download article (PDF) | return to index ------------------------------------------------------------------------ "PR can help solve Canada's democracy deficit" by Judy Rebick Declining voter turnout and rising street protests confirm that Canada�s political system faces a democracy deficit. Increasing numbers of Canadians feel that elected politicians, whether in government or out, no longer reflect their views. There are several reasons for this, but a major cause is that our first-past-the-post system distorts voter preferences�as it did for instance in the 1988 federal election, when a majority of voters opposed free trade but the government that proposed it won. PR would lessen this distortion, would reduce the need for negative voting, and would lead to greater representation of minorities in Parliament. download article (PDF) | return to index ------------------------------------------------------------------------ "Is talk of electoral reform just whistling in the wind?" by John C. Courtney An electoral system is only part of a governance system. Canada�s governance system, like most countries�, is a complex weave of customs, assumptions, laws and constitutional provisions. Changing the electoral system may cause unanticipated and undesirable changes in how the rest of the system works. For example, a switchover to some measure of proportional representation may lead to the disappearance of national accommodative parties. A change in the electoral system rests upon certain pre-conditions being met. At the moment those are absent from Canada. Political elites don�t see the need for a change, the public is not strongly motivated, and there is no agreement on which of many possible alternative systems would be best. download article (PDF) | return to index ------------------------------------------------------------------------ "Canadian perspectives on the voting system" by Darrell Bricker and Martin Redfern A recent Ipsos-Reid poll reveals that Canadians are not very well informed about their electoral system: Half believe MPs must win more than half the votes cast to win their seat, while governments must win a majority of seats. But they do know what they want from the system: stability and majority government. If forced to choose, however, they would prefer a system in which parliamentary representation was proportional to votes cast to a system designed to produce strong, stable governments. Electoral reform is currently at the bottom of most Canadians� list of priorities, but if priorities changed, PR might have widespread support. download article (PDF) | return to index ------------------------------------------------------------------------ "New Zealand adopts PR: A prime minister's view" by His Excellency Rt. Hon. James B. Bolger As so often in recent years, New Zealand got there first. Canadians may slowly be coming round to thinking about possibly considering PR, but in 1993 New Zealanders actually voted to adopt a mixed member proportional (MMP) electoral system, in which part of the parliament is elected by constituencies and part from party lists. James Bolger, the man who ushered his country through the referendum and was prime minister in the first MMP government in 1996�even though he favoured retaining the first-past-the-post system� was the keynote speaker at May�s conference. download article (PDF) | return to index ------------------------------------------------------------------------ "New Zealand adopts PR: A research director's view" by Paul Harris New Zealand changed its electoral system from first-past-the-post to proportional representation for three main reasons: lopsided election results in which parties with lots of votes won very few seats; a strong and clear recommendation from a Royal Commission; and widespread dissatisfaction with politics and politicians. The transition to the new system was characterized by prolonged political instability that led to a reduction in its popularity. Things seem to be calming down, however, and a parliamentary review committee is currently considering whether any changes need to be made to the new system and whether there should be a further national referendum on the electoral system. download article (PDF) | return to index ------------------------------------------------------------------------ "The alternative vote" by Tom Flanagan In theory, no system of voting is best and in practice many are consistent with a high standard of living and reasonable degree of liberty. In Canada, first-past-thepost seems to encourage regional fragmentation that makes the emergence of competitive national parties difficult. If Canadians do not want the radical change that proportional representation would bring, they should consider the alternative vote. AV would not make votes and seats proportional, but it would, as it has done in Australia, open up possibilities for cooperation among parties that eventually could lead to competitive coalitions. download article (PDF) | return to index ------------------------------------------------------------------------ "Alternative voting or mixed member/proportional: What can we expect?" by Louis Massicotte In a number of recent elections the first-past-the-post system has produced anomalous results. Experience in both Australia and Canada shows that the alternative vote usually does not make much of a difference in electoral outcomes. The mixed member/proportional system used in Germany and New Zealand is sometimes oversold, but a careful assessment of its advantages and disadvantages suggests it might well help lessen some of the imbalances currently observed in Canada. download article (PDF) | return to index ------------------------------------------------------------------------ "Trois dimensions de la justice pour �valuer les modes de scrutin" by Jean-Pierre Derriennic The three tests of an electoral system are the extent to which it: encourages governments to treat all citizens as equals; requires them to take all points of view into account; and makes it possible for citizens to rid themselves of governments they do not like. The existing Canadian system fails most seriously on the first count by privileging constituencies where the vote is close, although it clearly does allow for governments to be removed. Whether we stay with single-member constituencies or move to some form of proportional representation, the alternative vote provides more information about citizens� preferences, obviates the need for strategic voting and therefore allows for a greater range of opinion to be heard. download article (PDF) | return to index ------------------------------------------------------------------------ "Making democracy constitutional" by David Beatty By adhering to first-past-the-post, the Canada Elections Act denies Canadians effective and equal political representation. Supporters of small national parties are under-represented and women are present in the House of Commons in much smaller numbers than they are in countries that use proportional representation. Judicial intervention against systemic biases in electoral systems is neither illegitimate nor unusual. A proceeding currently underway should be referred directly to the Supreme Court of Canada. download article (PDF) | return to index ------------------------------------------------------------------------ "Getting from here to there: A process for electoral reform in Canada" by Matthew Mendelsohn and Andrew Parkin, with Alex Van Kralingen Because governments generally have profited by the status quo, electoral reform is often difficult. But it�s not impossible. Japan, Italy, New Zealand and the United Kingdom have all made changes to their electoral systems in recent years. To achieve reform it helps to have: a party in power that has been victimized by the status quo in the past; a crisis in confidence, not just in a party or leader, but in the system as a whole; a wider package of democratic reforms of which electoral reform is only a part; a genuine public interest in reform; and a mechanism for citizeninitiated referenda. If Canada were to try electoral reform it should establish a �citizens� forum� that would review the mandate of an independent electoral commission, debate its report and also approve the final referendum question�or questions, since more than one referendum would be best. download article (PDF) | return to index ------------------------------------------------------------------------ "Three lenses for judging electoral reform" by Carolyn Bennett Electoral reform is needed in Canada. We should look seriously at a system in which a Parliament made up mainly of constituency representatives was topped up from party lists. But electoral reform is not enough. We also need: less reliance on executive federalism; more extensive involvement of citizens between elections; greater participation from MPs, including the Opposition, and a car wash for partisan activity. download article (PDF) | return to index ------------------------------------------------------------------------ "Une r�forme n�cessaire" by St�phane Bergeron Voters would be better served by a Parliament elected with some component of proportional representation. But the method of counting votes is not the only problem with Canadian democracy. We also need: limits on campaign finance; a change in the way returning officers are chosen; some means for insuring the greater participation of women in elected office, discussion of reducing the voting age to 16, and a relaxation of the rules about listing candidates� party affiliation on the ballot. download article (PDF) | return to index ------------------------------------------------------------------------ "The Progressive Conservative party's perspective" by Peter MacKay The current system of first-past-the-post creates obvious unfairnesses. Perhaps the most extreme example was the PC Party�s result in the 1993 election: 17 per cent of the vote but just two seats in the House of Commons. The Party already supports the idea that MPs should be elected with at least 50 per cent of the vote, which could be achieved by a preferential ballot. It would also be willing to look at a system that mixed PR with constituency-based representations. Electoral reforms are not enough, however. The way Parliament operates also needs to be changed so as to give ordinary MPs more power. download article (PDF) | return to index ------------------------------------------------------------------------ "We need a new democracy in this country" by Lorne Nystrom Canadian democracy is on the verge of a crisis. At the federal level, voter participation has fallen sharply, to dangerously low levels. Parliament needs to be reformed, with more free votes, less power for the PMO and the legitimation or abolition of the Senate. But the electoral system also needs to be changed, so that people can vote their true preferences and know that Parliament will reflect those preferences. The best option would be a mixed member/proportional system, with a 50-50 split between constituency and party list members. download article (PDF) | return to index ------------------------------------------------------------------------ "Developing a coalition for electoral reform" by Scott Reid The Canadian Alliance is committed to putting possible electoral reforms, including PR and the single transferable ballot, before the Canadian people in a referendum. In fact, there should be two referenda, one to authorize an electoral commission to recommend alternatives and a second to choose among the alternatives, including the status quo. In deciding which system to support, politicians should set aside selfinterest and make their decision as if from behind a Rawlsian veil of ignorance. download article (PDF) | return to index ------------------------------------------------------------------------ "First-past-the-post has got to go" by Chris Bradshaw Small parties often whine about the unfairness of the electoral system. In fact, it is unfair to them, but it�s also bad for the system as a whole. It gives rise to strategic behaviour, both by the political parties, inside and outside of Parliament, and by voters themselves. Votes cast for strategic reasons obscure voters� true preferences and therefore hinder genuine democratic expression. The political parties implicitly endorse this view by using serial ballots to elect their leaders and candidates. Many substitute systems are possible, but first-past-the-post has got to go. download article (PDF) | return to index
