Democracy is said to be a battle of ideas waged with words, wit and winning strategies on a nation’s political stage, and yet, the range of ideas discussed in Canada’s House of Commons seems quite limited, with numerous political perspectives entirely absent from the conversation and many others sorely lacking for speaking time. It’s as if these missing ideas were “filtered out” before they could be raised in the legislature, leaving Members of Parliament to fight over an incomplete version of our nation’s political beliefs.
What could be the cause of this mass filtering? First Past the Post of course.
This should come as no surprise as electoral systems are simply “gatekeepers of democracy” – they decide which people and ideas are permitted into parliament, and which ones are left out. By limiting each riding to only one representative, First Past the Post (FPTP) restricts the diversity of thought each riding is capable of expressing in parliament to just the perspective of one party, painting a distorted picture of our nation’s political beliefs and forging a false consensus on the issues of the day.
In truth, the state of democracy under FPTP is not a “battle of ideas”, but rather a battle between people for control of who gets to raise their ideas in parliament. In the fight to win each riding’s sole seat of power, First Past the Post actively deprives most people of the resources needed to advocate for their politics in the House of Commons.
Moving to Proportional Representation would help fix this. By providing each region or riding with multiple representatives, PR would give almost every Canadian the power needed to raise their politics in parliament and would go a long way to fostering a true “battle of ideas” in our democracy.
At the end of the day, the ability to enact lasting political change for each and every one of us transpires through the promise of democracy’s “battle of ideas.” Ask yourself: how are you to make such political change happen if your MP isn’t fighting for what you believe in?
Doug Ford’s move to concentrate power with “strong mayor” system a step backward for local democracy
The plan to strip local city councillors of decision-making power and hand it to a “strong mayor” is not something Ford campaigned on before he won his latest “majority” (with the backing of 18% of eligible voters).
Just like Toronto city council was blindsided when Ford unilaterally slashed the number of councillors from 47 to 25 in 2018, the “strong mayor” plan doesn’t seem to be something city councils were asking for, either.
Make Votes Matter Webinar: Democracy Loves Local Power
Watch the latest in Make Votes Matter’s ‘Democracy Loves’ webinar series on how PR can help rebalance power across the UK, and how countries with Proportional Representation have often been more effective at leveling up.
Fair Vote Canada congratulates Susan Holt on winning the leadership of the New Brunswick Liberal Party
As a leadership candidate, Susan Holt distinguished herself from the others by stating she does not feel the current system accurately reflects the will of New Brunswick voters and that she would make electoral reform a priority.
Susan supports a Citizens’ Assembly on Electoral Reform, and would move forward quickly with its recommendations.
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:
- Want To Fix Elections? Try Randomly Selecting Politicians
- Peter Black | Structural co-operation
- Populism and polarization in Canada and the U.S.
- This is not democracy
A new Fair Vote Canada Action Team is up and running in Orangeville-Mono, Ontario! They’ve already published their first letter to the editor last month and have arranged community tables at their local farmers’ market. If you’re currently living in Orangeville or Mono and would like to get involved (or know someone who lives there who wants to lend a hand), let us know and well connect you to their team!
Email us if interested: fv***********@gm***.com
