Petition for voting system reform

[juzt4me]

Hello,

Tired of governments getting majority governments WITHOUT the support of a majority of Canadians? Chretien did it for 13 years, with only 38%. Now Harper has gotten 53% of the seats, with only 40% of the vote. When will this absurd under-representation stop? I say it stops NOW! Please sign my petition for a reform of our voting system a proportional representation system, where EVERY vote counts! You can also follow me on twitter, @reformcanada for up-to-date information on both reforms actions in Canada, as well as my petition. You may sign my petition at:

Electoral reform for Canada - Home

Please help the cause and pass this on, post it on your facebook/twitter pages, blogs, etc.

 

[cranky]

I have always supported reform in this area, but i find it sad that this topic only comes up after the campaign trail goes cold.

 

[juzt4me]

This reform has not just began since the election, i have been pushing it since much before, just so happens i posted on this site after the elections

 

[captain morgan]

I have always supported reform in this area, but i find it sad that this topic only comes up after the campaign trail goes cold.

It's kinda like lobbying for retroactive abortion

 

[mentalfloss]

I think this existing government, might just be the right mix for us right now.

That said, I still prefer proportional representation.

 

[cranky]

Hoping to win voters over by recruit the ones that are crying over spilled milk doesnt do this issue justice. It should be a topic that gets debated. I noticed layton glossed over it at the english debate but no one wanted to stop the Harper bashing long enough to discuss it.

 

[mentalfloss]

I'm sure given the chance, any rational person would bash Layton over it as well.

 

[cranky]

Is that rational politics or rationale politics?

 

[YukonJack]

The party that rules SHOULD arrive to that plateau the same way it leader did: Ballots.

The party with fewest votes take a cation four years. Then the party with the fewest votes, until, there is ONE (1) party in power and one (1) in opposition.

Anyone who wants a European-style mish-mash coalition is a certifiable idiot.

 

[TenPenny]

PR is an interesting concept. It would require a complete overhaul of our constitution, so in reality it could never be implemented, because I don't think any real constitutional changes will ever be passed.

Many people feel that their local MP has nothing to do with the riding (ie, Conservative in Lethbridge, NDP in that Quebec riding), so it reduces the importance of the local MP as representing the constituents.

Each party could have a nomination meeting where, along with the leader, the members of the party vote for 307 other candidates. In the election, you would simply vote for the party, among whatever parties were floating candidates, and then the 308 seats would be apprortioned among the parties based on popular vote. If a party got 38% of the vote, their top 117 candidates (including the leader) would go to Parliament.

People would not have a local MP to use as their go-to person, but in reality, few people actually need to do so.

 

[Machjo]

Among the options listed, I just voted first past the post. i could think of even better systems, but fptp is reasonable as long as you remove party names from ballots and not mislead people into thinking they're voting party. Las Vegas girl is a perfect example of why you want to vote candidate and not party. She is pretty cute, and might even prove us all wrong and be a quality MP. But there she is and we know so little about her.

 

[cranky]

IsIf we had a PR system, then what would stop a province from not only sending too many libs to ottawa, but also having a popular vote that drives the libs even higher and even more disproportionate that what we have now?

It seems to me, that PR means risky if voters in only one part of the country start to vote extreme.....it screws with all the other provinces

/devilsadvocate

 

[mentalfloss]

Just going to post this again for educational purposes:

YouTube - Cleese on PR (full length)

 

[TenPenny]

Among the options listed, I just voted first past the post. i could think of even better systems, but fptp is reasonable as long as you remove party names from ballots and not mislead people into thinking they're voting party. Las Vegas girl is a perfect example of why you want to vote candidate and not party. She is pretty cute, and might even prove us all wrong and be a quality MP. But there she is and we know so little about her.

She's far better looking than the conservative guy from Lethbridge that was nicknamed 'Mr No Show'

 

[Just the Facts]

Didn't we already have a referendum about this? Or maybe that was provincial.

 

[Machjo]

She's far better looking than the conservative guy from Lethbridge that was nicknamed 'Mr No Show'

Hell yeah!

 

[jjaycee98]

Hello,

Tired of governments getting majority governments WITHOUT the support of a majority of Canadians? Chretien did it for 13 years, with only 38%. Now Harper has gotten 53% of the seats, with only 40% of the vote.

Will never work in Canada because of our Population distribution and the size of the Country.

The Territories are huge; and while not significant in the past, may need alot of Parliamentary attention in the future. If you live in Dawson City, Yukon you hope someone in Ottawa knows you exist.

This would only work if you want to make Toronto; infact, the Center of the Universe.

Also would need to allow only 2 choices, or pass a Law that Coalitions are mandatory

 

[oldrebel]

Proportional representation would guarantee perpetual minority government, a really bad idea!
Harper's 40% means that more Canadians voted for him than for any other party. That's good enough for me with they system we have.
I would like to see a system of elimination like the political paries use. When one candidate doesn't get at ;least 50% of the vote, the second and third place candidate must give their votes to another party, and so on until one party has a majority of 51% or more.

 

[JLM]

Hello,

Tired of governments getting majority governments WITHOUT the support of a majority of Canadians? Chretien did it for 13 years, with only 38%. Now Harper has gotten 53% of the seats, with only 40% of the vote. When will this absurd under-representation stop? I say it stops NOW! Please sign my petition for a reform of our voting system a proportional representation system, where EVERY vote counts! You can also follow me on twitter, @reformcanada for up-to-date information on both reforms actions in Canada, as well as my petition. You may sign my petition at:

Electoral reform for Canada - Home

Please help the cause and pass this on, post it on your facebook/twitter pages, blogs, etc.

Doesn't matter much what you do - that is still going to happen where there are more than two candidates. It's not a big deal! :smile:

 

[Machjo]

Perpetual minority party governments are not necessarily a bad idea as long as majority coalitions can be formed.

As for a majority government being formed by a minority of votes, that makes sense only if you think you're voting for a party and not a candidate. In the absense of parties, it makes no sense. Then plurality wins make more sense on a riding by riding basis based on candidate. That of course presupposes that remove party names from ballots.