Now announcing the publication of the first book dedicated to the overall Proportional Representation experience in Canada
When Canada Had "Effective Voting" STV in Western Canada 1917-1971 68 pages. Photos. Tables. Lists. Timeline. $6 Drawing on historic newspaper accounts, books and PR organization newsletters, and on recent secondary references, historian Tom Monto has pulled together an overview of the use of proportional representation in Canada. This chronological history describes the drive for PR starting in the 1880s and its eventual success when by 1924, Single Transferable Voting had been adopted by 19 cities and two provincial governments. This book presents an overview of STV's use in 17 provincial elections and 150 city elections in Canada. And how despite its effectiveness, it was successively discontinued, with the last Canadian STV government election happening in Calgary in 1971. With increasing sentiment in favour of electoral reform, this affordable book is bound to provide speaking points and inspiration for today's debates on the subject. Self-published by Tom Monto, of Edmonton. Monto, a published author, is creator of the electoral reform blogsite Montopedia (wix.site).
"Effective Voting" was the term preferred by Catherine Helen Spence, the great 19th-Century Australian political reformer, over the term poly-syllabic proportional representation. Nowadays Fair voting is more commonly used. Such as lobbied for by the Fair Vote Canada organization.
An "Effective Vote" is one that is used to elect someone. A vote not used to elect someone is a vote disregarded. There are a great many of these, often more than half, disregarded in First Past The Post elections, where ofgten a minority of the voters in each district elects the district MLA or MP. Not every vote can elect their first choice obviously (not at least when some votes go to each candidate and there are more candidates running than empty seats). But if voters who support the least popular candidates are allowed to switch their votes to others, they can see their vote used to elect someone they prefer at least in preference to others. Under Canadian STV elections, at least 80 to 90 percent of the votes were used to elect someone, a very high ratio, compared to the rate of Effective Voting in non-proportional winner-take-all First Past The Post elections.
How did STV work?
Did it really have such a high success rate?
The answers to these and other questions can be found in When Canada Had "Effective Voting"...
The book is still in print but under a new title
When Canada Had Proportional Representation (a revised editon of the original) Orders for the book may be placed through Alhambra Books on AbeBooks.com.
Shipping costs quoted there will be reduced to $5 to make online purchase affordable. So total price will be $11 Canadian. As well, pick-up from the Alhambra Books storefront in Edmonton (10115 81 Avenue) is a possibility. The store is open Tues to Sat 12 to 5 pm.
or contact the self-publishing author through email: montotom@yahoo.ca Bulk mail orders can also be arranged through email: montotom @yahoo.ca
Note: These are paper copies. no e-book version. Staple-bound.
======================================================= An e-book version does exist if that is a preferred format.
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Here's the description (precis) from the ABEBOOKS ad.
Drawing on historic newspaper accounts, books and newsletters of the Canadian/U.S. Proportional Representation League, and on recent secondary references, historian Tom Monto has pulled together an overview of the use of proportional representation in Canada. This chronological history describes the drive for PR starting in the 1880s and its eventual success when by 1923, Single Transferable Voting had been adopted by 19 cities and two provincial governments.
This book presents an overview of STV's use in 17 provincial elections and 150 city elections in Canada. And how despite its effectiveness, it was successively discontinued, with the last Canadian STV government election happening in Calgary in 1971. With increasing sentiment in favour of electoral reform, this affordable book is bound to provide speaking points and inspiration for today's debates on the subject. Self-published by Tom Monto, of Edmonton. Monto, a published author, is creator of the electoral reform blogsite Montopedia (wix.site)
This book fills hole in existing printed word by revealing how Canada (western Canada) was once one of the "big four" in the world in the use of the British form of PR - STV. Ireland, Malta and Australia were the other three.
Then in the 1950s-1971 period, Canada's experience ended, while STV has continued in use in the other three places.
During its use in Canada as elsewhere, it produced mixed roughly proportional /consensus-driven representation. The use of STV ensured majority rule (unlike First Past The Post's minority rule). But misunderstandings held by some and opposition from a certain powerful minority (Business and their political friends who wanted to have overwhelming power) meant its demise in Canada.
This book reviews the history of Canada's STV and also signals the reason why STV (or another PR system) should be adopted once more.
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