There are 164 people running for Toronto city councillor in today’s municipal election. In the 2018 municipal election that number was 242. That’s a one third drop in the number of residents who have put forward their names to represent their ward.
At least three long-time councillors not seeking re-election cited the heavy workload as the reason they are leaving city politics. The reduction in councillors from 47 to 25 by the provincial government in the midst of the 2018 municipal election, doubled an already heavy workload. They found that it was not possible to juggle meeting constituents, preparing for countless meetings and attending council while still having some semblance of a family life. This is especially true for councillors with young families.
Political observers have cited the increased workload as one of the main reasons so few people are interested in putting their hats in the ring this election. It’s no wonder given that Toronto wards can have upwards of 110,000 constituents, the same as provincial and federal ridings.
Fewer candidates means fewer points of view and possibly less diversity on Toronto City Council. Plus, with twice as many constituents to serve as before 2018, it is much more difficult for people to get the attention of their councillor. These factors add up to one thing – less democracy in Toronto.
All of this happened because of a last-minute decision by the provincial government in 2018. Premier Ford had every right to trim the size of Council because, under our First-Past-The-Post electoral system, he had a majority government which gave him 100% of the decision-making power. These kinds of decisions reducing the voice of voters are far less likely happen under a voting system that features proportional representation.
Proportional representation at the provincial level would not only make provincial politics more democratic, given the power that the provincial government has over municipal councils, it could also have positive impacts at the city level by requiring collaboration of various parties on important decisions like the size of municipal council. A healthy democracy needs maximum participation from candidates and voters.
Toronto’s diversity is not reflected among its decision-makers
Roughly 90 per cent of Toronto city councillors in 2018 were white, while more than half the city’s population belonged to a visible minority.
We may be proud of our diverse city, but there is no question that Toronto’s diversity is not reflected among its decision-makers. To turn the disaffected toward the polls, we must change our own systems and behaviours, address the democratic gap at the municipal level and ensure city hall responds to the voices and needs of lower income and racialized Torontonians.
‘A quiet revolution is underway’: We can revitalize our democracy by funding citizen engagement in policy reform
Many democratic societies have begun experimenting with new approaches that dramatically expand the range of opportunities available for people to play a meaningful role in shaping their societies. These countries are creating new roles for citizens to fill, which give them a real voice in shaping the policies that affect their lives.
Sign a Petition Demanding PR!
Sami Baaj from Waterloo, Ontario has launched a petition calling upon the Government of Canada to implement any of the following electoral systems that are both proportional and preferential: the Single Transferable Vote, Rural-Urban Proportional, Jenkins MMP / Alternative Vote Plus, or the P3 model.
If you agree with his petition, please sign at the link below.
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:
- Winner-take-all elections can erode trust in democracy
- Introduce proportionality to increase municipal election turnout
- Citizens’ Assemblies are the next step in democracy’s evolution
- UK: Reform the voting system to end the chaos of First Past the Post
Shannon Proudfoot and Robyn Urback, who both write for the Globe and Mail, talked about the need for electoral reform on Power & Politics early October.