Peter Smith Over the past 16 federal elections (since 1965), the Liberal Party has won seven majority governments and three minority governments, while the Conservatives/Progressive Conservatives won three majority governments and had three minority governments. Peter Smith However, over that same period candidates from the Conservatives, Progressive Conservatives (and Reform, who amalgamated with the PC’s […]
Peter Smith
Over the past 16 federal elections (since 1965), the Liberal Party has won seven majority governments and three minority governments, while the Conservatives/Progressive Conservatives won three majority governments and had three minority governments.
However, over that same period candidates from the Conservatives, Progressive Conservatives (and Reform, who amalgamated with the PC’s to form the Conservative Party) actually received more votes than the Liberal Party candidates, yet the Liberals enjoyed almost twice as many years in power.
The smaller parties did even worse.
The present system appears to favour the Liberal Party to the detriment of all others. In our system, it’s all about getting one vote more than any other candidate. Win by a larger margin, and those extra votes count for nothing. Get one vote less than the winning candidate, and all those votes count for nothing.
No wonder so many people feel their vote makes no difference. No wonder so many people just don’t bother.
During the 2015 election, only the Conservatives were opposed to electoral reform, which means that about two-thirds of voters voted for a party in favour of electoral reform. So do we need a referendum?
There is no constitutional requirement for a referendum, and important constitutional or social legislation has been enacted in the past without a referendum, for example: the 1867 British North America Act, which made Canada an independent country; the 1918 Act to confer the Electoral Franchise upon Women, which doubled the number of voters in Canada; and the 1982 Constitution Act, which patriated the Constitution and created the Charter of Rights.
We have a unique opportunity to make our democracy more responsive to the diversity of opinions within Canada. For too long we have suffered while the two major parties have taken turns gaining majority control of Parliament from a minority of voters (less than 40% in the last two elections) and used it to follow their ideological goals.
First we turn left, then we turn right, then we turn left again, and on and on. Instead of working together in Parliament to find a consensus that a majority of Canadians can support, they argue and bicker while taking turns to drive us first one way, then the other.
Ask yourself, will the country be better off for having four years of unchecked Conservative majority control, followed by four years of unchecked Liberal majority control, or would it be better to have a system of proportional representation that kept us on some majority-supported, middle ground?
The choice is yours, don’t let someone else make the decision for you, contact the Special Committee on Electoral Reform and complete their survey.
Peter Smith is a retired engineer and former Green Party candidate.
