Is fair voting a pipe dream for Canadians? Not at all. Electoral reform is now on the political agendas of half the provinces in Canada. The new Quebec government has announced it will table legislation this spring for a proportional voting system. British Columbia is convening a citizens’ assembly on voting system reform. The BC assembly will be considering a new provincial voting system and their recommendation will go to a referendum in May 2005. Prince Edward Island is looking into alternative voting systems and New Brunswick will soon join them. In Ontario, with an election underway as this article is written, both the Liberals and NDP are committed to a referendum on a new voting system sometime before the next election.
With these and other opportunities emerging, Canadians who want a stronger democracy will have to make their voices heard. Every major democratic reform of the past two centuries has faced vigorous opposition. As the calls for fair voting grow, so will the maneuvering by powerful and well-resourced opponents.
Fair Vote Canada was formed in April 2001 as multi-partisan citizens’ campaign to press for a national referendum on a more proportional voting system. Those who are rallying to the campaign are from all backgrounds, all points on the political spectrum, and supporters of all parties. Why the unusual coalition? Because this isn’t about left vs. right, or east vs. west, or anglophone vs. francophone. It’s about one citizen, one vote, one value. It’s about building a level playing field in our political arena.
The Fair Vote Canada campaign has been endorsed by groups as diverse as the Canadian Labour Congress and the Canadian Taxpayers Federation. The campaign has an advisory board of thirty-three prominent Canadians from a wide variety of backgrounds, including notables such as Pierre Berton, Ed Broadbent, Hugh Segal, Claude Ryan, David Suzuki, Karen Kain, Maude Barlow, Tom Kent, Walter Robinson, Lincoln Alexander and current and former MPs from the Liberals, Progressive Conservatives, Alliance and NDP.
Further information about this important issue and the Fair Vote Canada campaign are available at www.fairvotecanada.org writing to Fair Vote Canada, 26 Maryland Blvd., Toronto, ON M4C 5C9, or calling 416-410-4034.
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