The Official Canadian Electoral Reform Thread

[JLM]

Re: How would you vote among the following choices in an electoral reform referendum?

I am afraid I can't answer your poll as non-partisan democracy is pretty much impossible and has been for about 200 years. Like-minded politicians are always going to band together regardless of the electoral system. That said, proportional representation or something like it works well in most mature democracies and I am tired of Canadian political parties claiming that they have a "mandate to rule" despite getting only 40% or so of the vote.

It's pretty hard to get away from that, in a typical Federal election we have up to about 12 parties running, with three parties taking the lions share of the vote.

 

[mentalfloss]

NDP proposes democratic committee to Liberals on electoral reform

Good move.


NDP wants Liberals to surrender majority on electoral reform committee

OTTAWA—The New Democrats are urging the Liberals to voluntarily give up their majority on a committee tasked with devising a new electoral system.

In a letter to Democratic Institutions Minister Maryam Monsef, NDP critic Nathan Cullen says the committee studying Canada’s electoral system “should correspond to how Canadians voted in the 2015 federal election.

Cullen proposed a committee with five Liberal MPs, three Conservatives, two New Democrats, and one seat each for the Green Party and Block Québécois.
Practically speaking, that would mean the government could not force through any measures without the support of at least one other party.

Speaking to reporters outside the House of Commons, Cullen said he believes no one party should unilaterally change how elections are conducted.

“(If) the Liberals are the only ones standing at the end of the day, supporting a new system, they will be open, I think fairly, to criticism that this is to their advantage and to the disadvantage of others,” Cullen said.

http://m.thestar.com/#/article/news...r-majority-on-electoral-reform-committee.html

 

[FiveParadox]

Re: NDP proposes democratic committee to Liberals on electoral reform

It's not a bad idea, but let's not pretend that this is about democracy (ironically enough) for the New Democrats.

Since the opening of this Parliament, the NDP has been obcstructionist and immature. They actively filibustered the procedure and House affairs committee, actively blocking parliamentary pre-budget consultations (with the assistance in the House of the Bloc Quebecois); they filibustered to demand an NDP veto over committee witnesses and agenda items.

This is everything about giving the NDP the balance of power, and nothing to do with "democracy."

 

[Bar Sinister]

Re: NDP proposes democratic committee to Liberals on electoral reform

It's not a bad idea, but let's not pretend that this is about democracy (ironically enough) for the New Democrats.

Since the opening of this Parliament, the NDP has been obcstructionist and immature. They actively filibustered the procedure and House affairs committee, actively blocking parliamentary pre-budget consultations (with the assistance in the House of the Bloc Quebecois); they filibustered to demand an NDP veto over committee witnesses and agenda items.

This is everything about giving the NDP the balance of power, and nothing to do with "democracy."

It really doesn't matter who has the majority on the committee. Ultimately it is the Liberals who will decide what is done regarding voting reform. In any case I expect the NDP to support proportional representation as it is the party (along with the Greens) that has the most to gain from such a voting system. And I expect the Conservatives will oppose it as that party has the most to lose.

 

[mentalfloss]

Re: NDP proposes democratic committee to Liberals on electoral reform

It's not a bad idea, but let's not pretend that this is about democracy (ironically enough) for the New Democrats.

Since the opening of this Parliament, the NDP has been obcstructionist and immature. They actively filibustered the procedure and House affairs committee, actively blocking parliamentary pre-budget consultations (with the assistance in the House of the Bloc Quebecois); they filibustered to demand an NDP veto over committee witnesses and agenda items.

This is everything about giving the NDP the balance of power, and nothing to do with "democracy."

You can't really be an obstructionist in a majority government.

Anyway, the rhetoric about what each party's agenda is a bit banal. It's like saying that corporations only care about profit. We all know that already.

 

[B00Mer]

Re: NDP proposes democratic committee to Liberals on electoral reform

Does anyone really want to take advise from the NDP and Notely.

Basically, Notely has put the final nail on the NDP coffin.

 

[mentalfloss]

Re: NDP proposes democratic committee to Liberals on electoral reform

Does anyone really want to take advise from the NDP and Notely.

Basically, Notely has put the final nail on the NDP coffin.

Actually, Notley had to put the final nail on Alberta.

 

[FiveParadox]

Harper's former chief of staff wants proportional representation

Guy Giorno, former chief of staff to Stephen Harper, then the prime minister.​

One of the latest calls for electoral reform for elections to the House of Commons, and for proportional representation in particular, is coming from Guy Gornio. It is an unexpected call from an unexpected corner of the political spectrum. Gornio has previously served as the Conservative national campaign director, and as chief of staff for the Right Hon. Stephen Harper, P.C., M.P. (Calgary Heritage), when he was prime minister. He is part of a new alliance of individuals and organizations calling for electoral reform: the Every Voter Counts Alliance.

Gornio is joined in his call for proportional representation and in the Alliance by labour unions, the Canadian Federation of Students, Fair Vote Canada, and a former privy council clerk (i.e., a former head of the public service). This comes in the midst of a general aversion on the part of the Conservatives to present discussions on electoral reform.

The Right Hon. Justin Trudeau, P.C., M.P., Prime Minister, has committed that the 2015 general election shall have been the last general election conducted under the first-past-the-post system, and the Liberals are going to be undertaking a national consultation on reform.

Source: Harper's former chief of staff pushes for proportional representation (CBC News)

 

[mentalfloss]

Harper's former chief of staff pushes for proportional representation

Harper's former chief of staff pushes for proportional representation

The Conservative Party's former national campaign director, Guy Giorno, is helping to spearhead a push to bring proportional representation to Canada — despite his own party's apparent aversion to changing the current electoral system.

Giorno, said he is promoting proportional representation because it would be fairer and more representative, producing a House of Commons where each party's share of the seats reflects its share of the popular vote.

"Proportional representation is the only principled approach which is not built to work for parties or politicians, but built to work for individuals and to make our House of Commons or legislature provincially reflect the diversity of their views," Giorno told Rosemary Barton on CBC News Network's Power & Politics.

Giorno said changing the electoral system to make it more democratic is not a partisan issue but a broader issue that impacts all Canadians.

"It's a change that will make our elections and elections process more fair, more democratic, more representative, and more reflective of the views and values of Canadians," he said.

Giorno, who also served as former Prime Minister Stephen Harper's chief of staff, is a member of a new group called the Every Voter Counts Alliance, which is launching Thursday to push for this electoral reform.

The coalition backing the change includes former Privy Council clerk Alex Himelfarb and groups including YWCA Canada, labour unions, the Canadian Federation of Students and Fair Vote Canada.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau promised that the 2015 federal election would be the last fought under the first-past-the-post system — a process that often results in a party winning a majority of Commons seats with less than 40 per cent of the vote.

"The problem with the current system is it was designed by politicians for politicians," said Giorno.

Harper's former chief of staff pushes for proportional representation - Politics - CBC News

 

[Locutus]

Trudeau caught in web of lies over electoral reform allegations

forced to apologize to Conservatives.

I'm sure our friends of the pony just missed this huffpo headline.

A Conservative critic took Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to task Thursday for blaming opposition parties for delays in the creation of an all-party committee on electoral reform.


In perhaps an unexpected twist, Trudeau responded by apologizing to veteran Tory MP Scott Reid.


Reid, the Conservative critic for democratic institutions, rose in question period to criticize remarks Trudeau made the day before while discussing his government's first six months in power. Trudeau was asked if he was ragging the puck by not moving on the promised committee to study the future of Canada's electoral system.


mo


Trudeau Apologizes To Tory MP For Comments On Delayed Electoral Reform Committee

 

[tay]

Re: Harper's former chief of staff wants proportional representation

In a superb piece for the Globe and Mail, Ed Broadbent, Alex Himelfarb and Hugh Segal argue (link is external) that Canada needs true proportional representation. Nothing else will do:


The central problem with our winner-take-all system is that the composition of our elected parliament does not reflect how we actually voted. A candidate who receives a plurality of the votes wins, even if a majority of the voters chose others. The majority of the votes in such a case have no impact on the outcome of the election.

That means a party that receives only a minority of votes, say less than 40 per cent, can form a majority government, taking full control of the policy agenda. In fact, this is the norm in Canada. But this cannot continue. In a representative democracy, representativeness surely should matter.

The Liberals claim that the new system will be guided by eight principles. The authors write:

We note, nonetheless, that only a proportional system can meet the government’s first principle: To ensure that votes are fairly translated into elected results.

No more staying at home because our preferred candidate cannot win. No more so-called strategic voting in which we vote to stop a party we like the least rather than choose the candidate or party that best reflects our views.

Not surprisingly, countries with some form of proportional representation – and that is the majority of advanced democracies and 85 per cent of OECD countries – elect more women, more members of minority communities and more diverse legislatures.

Proportional Representation is not a vague theory:

Given that most democracies have opted for greater proportionality, there’s a good deal of evidence on how it’s working. And it is working.

Voter participation and trust in government are higher. There has been some increase but no proliferation of parties. It does become harder – though not impossible – for single parties to get a majority so these countries are often governed by coalitions. But coalitions in fact provide good, stable government. Elections are no more frequent and politics tend to be less polarized because parties know they may have to work together.

They warn that preferential ballots won't bring about these changes. Only a genuinely proportional system will do that.


Only proportionality will fix our democratic malaise - The Globe and Mail

 

[mentalfloss]

Liberals Announce Electoral Reform Committee

FPTP and the conbots -- BUH BYE!


Proposed motion suggests committee to report on alternatives to first-past-the-post system by Dec. 1

The Liberal government gave notice on Tuesday night of its proposal to move ahead with a special committee on electoral reform.

Democratic Reform Minister Maryam Monsef and Government House Leader Dominic LeBlanc will explain their plans at 9 a.m. ET in Ottawa. CBC News is livestreaming the press conference.

The committee would consist of 10 voting members: six Liberals, three Conservatives and one New Democrat. One Bloc Québécois MP and Green MP Elizabeth May would be members of the committee, but not allowed to vote.

Its final report on alternatives to the current first-past-the-post system would be due on Dec. 1.
The Liberals promised during last year's campaign that the 2015 election would be the last vote conducted under first-past-the-post rules. The proposed motion to create the committee was added to the notice paper of the House of Commons on Tuesday night.

5 principles for new voting system

The committee would be asked to "identify and conduct a study of viable alternate voting systems, such as preferential ballots and proportional representation, to replace the first-past-the-post system, as well as to examine mandatory voting and online voting."

Options would be judged on the basis of five principles:

Effectiveness and legitimacy.
Engagement.
Accessibility and inclusiveness.
Integrity.
Local representation.

The committee would invite every MP to conduct a forum on electoral reform in his or her riding and file a report on the discussion by Oct. 1. And the committee itself would conduct a "national engagement process," including written and online submissions.

Liberals hope to move forward with electoral reform committee - Politics - CBC News

 

[captain morgan]

Re: Harper's former chief of staff wants proportional representation

A true testament to the effective leadership qualities of Harper in that he lives on, rent free in the minds of many of the usual suspects

 

[Johnnny]

Re: Harper's former chief of staff wants proportional representation

I did mention that proportional representation would be a better route, before in another thread. Hell i even think i was subtly mocked by the green and soundly ignored for thinking that.... Even if ya'll roll your eyes at me, i was still on the right track!!!!

Funny the conservatives said this after their time....

 

[captain morgan]

Re: Harper's former chief of staff wants proportional representation

Then what would be the point of having any individual Party representatives in any specific riding if my vote is to be overridden by the national trends?

May as well as just vote for a Party leader and be gone with all of the other hangers-on

 

[IdRatherBeSkiing]

Re: Harper's former chief of staff wants proportional representation

Trudeau promised it so it must be going to happen right?

 

[Bar Sinister]

Re: Liberals Announce Electoral Reform Committee

If the proposed change to the voting system goes through it will be pretty much the end of right-of-centre governments in Canada forever. There will be no more splitting the vote between the Liberals and NDP with the Conservatives coming up the middle and stealing an election with 40% or less of the vote. It will mean, of course, that no party is likely to get a majority, but a coalition between the left wing parties is certainly not an impossibility, especially as such coalitions are common in most liberal democracies.

Of course facing permanent electoral doom is not something that conservatives are going to take lying down. They will fight it tooth and nail and I have already noted that they are whining about the make-up of the reform committee. No doubt the next step will be to launch a campaign of lies and half-truths to mislead the public about the virtues of the system, but in the end the Liberals hold the majority and they can make the change no matter what the opposition. If they are smart they will simply ignore the frantic efforts of conservative elements to twist the truth.

 

[Retired_Can_Soldier]

Re: Liberals Announce Electoral Reform Committee

The end of democracy.

 

[damngrumpy]

Re: Liberals Announce Electoral Reform Committee

I want nothing to do with reform of a system that already works
Look at the countries that have gone that route they are paralyzed
by their own bullshi*

 

[IdRatherBeSkiing]

Re: Liberals Announce Electoral Reform Committee

If the proposed change to the voting system goes through it will be pretty much the end of right-of-centre governments in Canada forever. There will be no more splitting the vote between the Liberals and NDP with the Conservatives coming up the middle and stealing an election with 40% or less of the vote. It will mean, of course, that no party is likely to get a majority, but a coalition between the left wing parties is certainly not an impossibility, especially as such coalitions are common in most liberal

You mean a majority government can be stolen with 40% of the vote? Just like Justine's?