Andrew Caddell’s recent opinion piece in The Hill Times is an example of the make believe stories we tell ourselves to justify our non-proportional voting system.
One story we tell is that proportional representation is only used in a handful of countries. Caddell downplays the prevalence of proportional voting when he writes, “every political nerd loves it, pointing to countries where it has been adapted, like New Zealand, Ireland, Germany, and Italy.”
The truth is that proportional voting is the norm. Almost all developed countries use proportional representation at some level of government. The highest-ranked democracies use it at the national level. Canada is an outlier in that we still use non-proportional voting for all elections at every level of government.
We also tell ourselves that we must choose between local representation and proportional representation. Caddell writes, “in a vast country like ours, local representation counts.”
The truth is that Canadian politicians could easily implement a voting system that produces proportional election results while maintaining our tradition of electing local representatives from local races. The reason we have not adopted a proportional voting system is because most of our politicians still have exclusionary attitudes about democracy. They do not want the views of Canadians to be proportionally represented. This will someday change.
Finally, we tell ourselves that there isn’t enough evidence to adopt proportional representation. As Caddell assures us, “the statistics abroad don’t show higher voter participation rates or greater satisfaction with politicians elected under a different system.”
I do not agree with the idea that we should only improve Canadian democracy if it will result in higher voter turnout. That said, the statistics do show higher voter participation rates under proportional voting systems. It’s time we told ourselves the truth.
Authored by Rhys Goldstein and published as a Letter to the Editor in the November 2nd issue of The Hill Times.
Where there’s a will, there’s a way towards proportional representation
Canadians are sleepwalking into a democratic crisis. Gradually decreasing voter turnout, mediocre government policy, and toxic hyperpartisanship are eroding the principles of peace, order, and good government that have been the foundations of Canada’s success for generations. Proportional representation is needed to reverse these trends, and it is needed now.
Read this Hill Times column by Ryan Campbell, a member of Fair Vote Canada’s board of directors.
Power to the people: How Canada can build a more connected and responsive Parliament
Canadian citizens, like those in many other democratic countries, struggle with a lack of trust in their federal and provincial legislatures, their major political parties and members of Parliament.
One proposed solution to this problem has been to empower the public through institutionalized representative deliberative processes such as revamped town halls and permanent citizens’ assemblies.
Denmark’s election a powerful example of how proportional representation transforms democracy
Even before the election campaign began, Social Democratic Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen was clear that after the election, she hoped to reach across the aisle and form a broader coalition.
With first-past-the-post in Canada, the opposite kind of politics usually rules.
Watch: Democracy Roundtable with the Green Party Leadership Candidates
On November 19, the Green Party elected a new leader. Six candidates competed to lead the party, with two pairs running on a co-leadership model.
Watch our Democracy Roundtable as we ask the candidates about their commitment to electoral reform.
Democratic Reform in the News
Electoral reform continues to make the news across Canada and around the world. Here is a sample of what is being said:
- Portland, Oregon votes to adopt proportional representation
- How to Save America From Extremism by Changing the Way We Vote
- Time for the Church of England to preach what it practises on elections
Many political leaders across Canada promised or supported electoral reform before getting into power. Check out the list below!
