Electoral reform

Helen Forsey | Dec 02, 2015

With our MP Scott Reid as Opposition critic for Democratic Institutions, we local constituents have the opportunity to engage with him and with each other about how to rebuild our democracy.

The top priority should be to change our electoral system to make it truly proportional. Unfortunately, the “ranked ballot” system that Scott favours (also known as the “Alternative Vote” or “Instant Run-off Vote”) won’t help; in fact, it could even make things worse. It may sound appealing, but it’s not. It is actually just a modified version of our present winner-take-all system (“First-Past-the-Post”) with all its unfairness and disadvantages. We would still end up with false majorities and huge numbers of voters with no voice at all.

What we need is a system of true proportional representation, where the popular vote is accurately reflected in the elected Parliament or legislature as a whole. Fair Vote Canada explains the valid choices (Mixed Member Proportional and Single Transferable Vote) on their website under “Frequently Asked Questions’'. It’s well worth checking out, so as not to be confused (as I was at first) by the misleading “ranked ballot” idea.