(this is "Canada" section of Wiki Electoral Reform article, as of December 2024)
Canada
Several national and provincial organizations promote electoral reform, especially by advocating more party-proportional representation, as most regions of Canada have at least three competitive political parties (some four or five) and the traditional first-past-the-post election system operates best where just two parties are competing.
The leading alternatives to first past the post currently are STV, Mixed Member Proportional Representation (MMP) (that uses both single-member districts and top-up seats), and "Rural–urban proportional representation" (which combines STV in multi-member districts, single member districts and top-up seats).[6] Others are Dual-Member PR[7], Local PR[8] and list PR in multi-member districts. These PR systems emphasize either proportional allocation of seats to parties (or their candidates) or a high rate of effective votes (votes actually used to elect someone), through transfers away from where initially placed if that means they would be wasted (STV) or through many parties electing representation (most forms of PR). Both proportionality and raised rate of effective votes result, whichever strategy is emphasized.
The Constitution prevents votes from moving across provincial borders so without constitutional change, no overall proportionality can be guaranteed. Multi-member districts are currently prohibited, but that is at the discretion of the Parliament of Canada. Every province, and federal elections too, have used multi-member districts in the past.[9] Historically, all electoral systems used in Canada have allowed voter to cast a vote (or votes) for a candidate (or candidates). Casting a vote for a party list has never been done in Canada.[10]
Perhaps a vote drifting outside the riding where it was originally cast may also be prohibited by the Constitution. (or if the Parliament can change working rules so MMDs are allowed (which it can), then perhaps it can rule that under certain circumstances a vote can move to a region or a different district in order to be used.
There are several electoral reform advocacy groups. Fair Vote Canada is a large non-party organization advocating electoral reform nationally. The Equal Vote Coalition has organized a multi-year research campaign involving many of the world experts on electoral reform.[11]
Election Districts Voting advocates a particular form of proportional representation where vote is used in successively larger districts. The plan is intended to ensure large majorities of voters directly elect party candidates of choice, not just parties of choice.[12]
Canada has not always used the single-winner first past the post system that is now ubiquitous. As recently as the 1990s, plurality block voting was in use. The provinces of Manitoba and Alberta adopted the partial use of proportional representation (single transferable voting) in the 1920s. The franchise has also been extended to give the vote to women, particular races or ethnic groups, those with Treaty Indian status, adults younger than 21. So far none of those changes have followed a referendum, with the sole exception being extension of the franchise to (some) women in British Columbia in 1916.[13]
Several referendums to decide whether or not to adopt proportional representation have been held at the provincial level since 2005. None has thus far resulted in a change from the plurality system.
Controversially, the referendum threshold for adoption of a new voting system has regularly been set at a "supermajority": for example, 60 percent of ballots cast approving the change in order for the change to be implemented. In most provincial referendums the change side received less than 40 percent support. But in two cases, a majority of voters voted for change.
In the 2005 electoral reform referendum held in British Columbia, a majority of votes were cast in favour of change to STV.[14]
In the November 7, 2016, electoral reform plebiscite on Prince Edward Island, the government declined to specify in advance how it would use the results. Mixed member proportional Representation won the five-option instant-runoff voting contest, taking 55 percent of the final vote versus 45 percent for first-past-the-post,
But the PEI government did not commit to implementing a proportional voting system, citing the turnout of 36 percent as making it "doubtful whether these results can be said to constitute a clear expression of the will of Prince Edward Islanders". PEI regularly sees turnout above 80 percent in most elections.[15]
Seven provincial level referendums on electoral reform have been held to date:
During the 2015 federal election all three opposition parties promised some measure of electoral reform before the next federal election. The NDP promised to implement mixed-member proportional representation with regional and open party lists, based on the 2004 recommendations of the Law Commission.[16]
The Liberal leader, who is now prime minister, Justin Trudeau, promised to make the election the last that would use first past the post. He promised, if elected, to form an all-party committee to investigate various electoral reform options "including proportional representation, ranked ballots, mandatory voting and online voting."[17]
Trudeau has admitted that in 2015 he preferred a winner-take-all, preferential voting system known as Instant Runoff Voting.[18] Despite his misgivings about proportional representation, Trudeau made promises he would approach the issue with an open mind.
Many prominent members of his caucus and cabinet (including Stephane Dion, Dominic Leblanc, and Chrystia Freeland) stated they supported proportional representation.[16] In 2012, Dion authored an editorial for the National Post advocating his variation of proportional representation by the single transferable vote dubbed "P3" (proportional, preferential and personalized).[19]
Conservative interim leader, Rona Ambrose, indicated a willingness to investigate electoral reform options. Her party's stated position was that any reform must first be approved by the voters in a referendum. After its election to a plurality of seats in the House of Commons, the Liberal government stated a referendum was unnecessary as Liberals clearly campaigned on making "2015 Canada's last First Past the Post election."
The Green Party of Canada has long been supportive of proportional representation. At the party's Special General Meeting in Calgary on December 5, 2016, Green Party members passed a resolution endorsing Mixed Member Proportional Representation as its preferred model, while maintaining an openness to any proportional voting system producing an outcome with a score of 5 or less on the Gallagher Index.[20]
Liberal members of the Standing Committee on Electoral Reform urged Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to break his promise to change Canada's voting system before the next federal election in 2019. Meanwhile, opposition members of the committee pressured Trudeau to keep the commitment. In its final report, Strengthening Democracy in Canada, (December 2016) the Standing Committee on Electoral Reform recommended the government design a proportional election system and hold a national referendum to gauge Canadians' support.[21]
Between December 2016 and January 2017, the Government of Canada undertook a survey of Canadian opinion regarding electoral reform, with some 360,000 responses received.
On February 1, 2017, the Liberal Minister of Democratic Institutions, Karina Gould, announced that a change of voting system was no longer in her mandate, citing a lack of broad consensus among Canadians on what voting system would be best.[22]
The Province of Ontario permitted the use of Instant-Runoff Voting for municipal elections.[23] IRV is not a proportional voting system and is opposed by both Fair Vote Canada and Election Districts Voting[24] for provincial or federal elections.[25] The Ontario government later rescinded this legislation, and municipalities use a plurality system (either first past the post or plurality block voting) for all elections.
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