Voting System Reform in Canada

1. Voting System Reform in Canada

2. Fair Vote Canada • Multi-partisan Group formed in 2000 • People from all regions, all walks of life, all points of view, all parties • Strict focus on implementing a fair voting system • Education • www.fairvote.ca

3. 1 Minute Democracy Quiz • Every vote is equal – it doesn’t matter who you support or where you live • Election results are fair – what we say at the ballot box is what we get • A party must win a majority of votes to form a majority government • Government is always formed by the party that wins the most votes

4. 1 Minute Democracy Quiz – Con’d • Voters who oppose the government are always represented in Parliament by one or more opposition parties • Canada has more women in parliament than either Turkmenistan, Laos, or Eritrea • Canada ranked 108th in voter turnout in the 1990s • Most older European nations use antiquated 12th century voting systems, while Canada uses a modern 20th century voting system

5. Canada’s Current Voting System • Single Member Plurality – Winner take all, First Past the Post (FPTP)

6. How Does FPTP Work? • Within a riding or district, candidate with the most votes wins the riding or seat • Party with the most seats forms the government • Question – What is a majority government in Canada? • Government with a majority (50%+) of the seats • Do they receive the majority of the popular vote? • No, very rarely

7. Examples of FPTP • 1 riding 2 candidates • Simple, candidate with most votes win • Winner will always have majority of the vote

8. Examples of FPTP • 1 Riding Multiple Candidates • Winner just needs the most votes, not majority of votes • Winner rarely gets majority

9. Problems with FPTP • Candidates elected with less than a majority • Rarely results in true majority – phony majorities • More votes for the losers than winners • Wasted votes!!!! 6 Million in average federal election • Distorts results • Fewer Women Elected – 20.6%

10. Problems with FFTP – cont’d • Favours large parties • Regional disparities – a regional party, like the Bloc can do very well with a relatively small vote • Promotes strategic voting • Lower Voter Turnout

11. Distorted Results of FFTP • 580,000 people voted for the Greens and elected 0 members • Less than .5 million people voted Liberal in the Maritimes and elected 22 members • In 2000 in Ont 2.3 million votes for Liberals elected 100 members, 2.2 million votes for other parties elected only 3 members • 1993, the Bloc forms the official opposition but is fourth in popular vote • 1993 – Bloc and Reform win their regions but more voters vote for other parties. Country is splitting!!!

12. Distorted Results – 2006 Election • 20% of Albertans voted Liberals but no Liberals Elected • 24% of Torontonians voted Conservative but elected 0 conservatives • BQ received 42% of the vote in Quebec but received 67% of the seats • NDP received 18% of the vote and received only 10% of the seats

13. Average Votes Per Party to Gain a Seat 2004 Election • Bloc 1 = 30,966 • Liberals 1 = 36,675 • Conservative 1 = 40,350 • NDP 1 = 111,397 • Green 0 = 580,816

14. Other Voting Systems • Majority systems – runoff or alternate vote systems • Still result in distorted results, can be worse than FPTP • Proportional Representation

15. What is a Fair Voting System? • All votes are equal • As many votes count as possible • Majority Rule

16. Proportional Representation – What is it? • A voting system that results in parties receiving number of seats in proportion with the popular vote they receive – every vote counts • A party receiving 40% of the vote will receive 40% of the seats

17. Knocks Against PR • Government stability • PR generally results in coalitions or consensus governments • Most PR countries are very stable • Netherlands prime minister – ‘Decisions take longer, but we get them right’ • Small parties will rule • Parties going against their platform must facethe electorate • Government will represent the majority

18. Knocks Against PR – cont’d • The 2 I’s – Italy and Israel – Chaos will rule • 80+ countries using PR systems successfully • Italy and Israel would be special cases under any voting system • Proliferation of small parties • Has not been the case • 5% requirement • "democracy is the worst form of government except all the others that have been tried.” Churchill

19. PR Voting Systems • Several different PR Systems • List Systems – proportion of the vote applied to party lists (Sweden) • Mixed Member Proportional – Mixed system of FPTP and party lists (Germany) • Single Transferable Vote – Voters vote in districts and rank the candidates (Ireland)

20. Mixed Member Proportional • Combination of FPTP and lists • Larger ridings combined into larger districts • Fewer FPTP elected members • Voters get 2 votes, 1 for FPTP member and 1 for party • Riding member is elected with FPTP system • Proportionality is achieved by applying proportion of vote to the lists to adjust party members within districts

21. MMP Sample Ballot

22. Who is Using PR Today? • Almost everyone!!!! • 80+ countries • Canada is one of the few countries still using FPTP • Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Ireland, Mexico, New Zealand, Poland, Serbia, Sweden, Scotland, Norway, Australia, Wales… • Most new Democracies!!!

23. 2006 Federal Election Results Under PR • Conservatives - 36.3% of the popular vote: 113 seats (not 124) • Liberals - 30.1% of the popular vote: 93 seats (not 103) • NDP - 17.5% of the popular vote: 59 seats (not 29) • Bloc - 10.5% of the popular vote: 31 seats (not 51) • Greens - 4.5% of the popular vote: 12 seats (not 0)

24. What is Happening in Canada • Lots of activity within the last 5 years • BC citizen’s assembly • PEI - Referendum • Quebec - legislation • New Brunswick – legislation and referendum • Ontario – proposed citizen’s assembly

25. Ontario • Liberal Government committed to voting system reform • Have committed to a citizen’s assembly similar to BC but should improve on it • Referendum in 2007

26. Other Provinces • PEI – proposed a MMP system – Referendum in Fall 2005 only 37% supported change • New Brunswick – Proposed MMP system. No date on referendum or implementation • Quebec – Proposed MMP system

27. Federal Government • Lots of talk but little action so far • Part of the party platform for the NDP and the Greens • Liberals appointed a person responsible for democratic renewal • Law Commission of Canada report recommended PR (MMP)

28. Answers to Quiz • False – Number of votes required to elect a member can be different for different parties and regions • False – Distorted results of FPTP • False – Majority governments rarely get a majority of the popular vote • False – NDP in BC, PQ in Quebec • False – Liberals in NB won every seat with 60% of the vote • False • False – Canada ranked 109th not 108th • False – Most European countries use 20th century voting systems. Canada uses a system developed in the 12th century

29. Take Home Exercises • Ask your parents if they understand about our voting system and what they know about PR • Visit www.fairvote.ca for more information