Fairvote Canada

https://www.fairvote.ca/women/

Crossposted from https://sh.itjust.works/post/37100249

I wrote a letter to a representative calling for change, calling for electoral reform. If you'd like to share, feel free to adjust it and mail it however you like! I do not want any credit for this. The letter is as follows:

Your Name

Your Address

City, Province, Postal Code

Email Address (optional)

Date

Representative's Name

Their Title

Office Address

City, Province, Postal Code

Subject: The voters are restless. We need change.

Dear Representative,

I've been thinking a lot about the nature of change in Canada; how it starts, who initiates it, and why it so often feels out of reach for ordinary citizens. It’s easy to feel like you're contributing when you post an opinion online, but real change demands more than digital echoes. That’s why I’m writing to you.

Recently, I was researching a Canadian legend by the name of Tommy Douglas, a man who was disappointed in socialists who cared more about their ideas than they did about taking action. He is lauded as the father of socialized medicine in Canada despite never rising beyond his position as Premier of Saskatchewan. I was singing his praises to a friend of mine when they pointed out that it was not Tommy Douglas alone that made this happen. He did this with the help of many, many regular people, just like me. This thought inspired me to write about an issue I feel is extremely relevant today.

In the last federal election, only 68.65% of eligible Canadians voted, which is relatively high compared to recent voting history, but is still just over half of eligible voters. When I ask friends why they don’t vote, most say it’s because their vote doesn’t matter. I would have loved to tell them that their vote does matter, that the system works; however, the working class is beginning to take notice, and we know that our vote does not matter. Our system is broken, and Canadians are stuck in an endless, limbo-like cycle with a government that never listens to us and only ever serves to increase wealth disparity, no matter which of the two largest parties we vote for.

This brings me to my next point: we only have two choices. We like to think of our country as a democracy, but until we change this system that inevitably results in a pissing contest between two near-identical parties of men in suits and ties, it is essentially no better than our southern neighbours.

We should not have to vote for a party that does not represent our views just to avoid fascism.

Former Prime Minister Trudeau was elected on the promise of electoral reform, then walked away from it. Many of us saw it coming. There was no accountability and no follow-through during the decade he spent as PM, and to think Canadian voters don’t notice this kind of betrayal is an insult to our intelligence.

I truly believe that this is an opportunity to show Canadians that you care about them beyond just their votes. You can show them that you respect their intelligence by promising actual change.

I am asking you to advocate for a ranked ballot system: a system that empowers voters to rank their preferences, eliminates the fear of "wasted votes," and encourages greater political diversity. It ensures that elected officials better reflect the views of most Canadians. Single-transferable-vote is a feasible goal if we work together.

A step further would be to make election day a national statutory holiday, easing access to the polls and reinforcing the importance of civic participation. While mandatory voting is worth exploring in the future, I believe turnout would improve organically if people felt their vote truly counted.

I understand that this is a big ask. I know that this letter sounds idealistic. But I also believe that electoral reform is foundational. This is an important change that can restore faith in our system and amplify the voices of Canadians who currently feel unheard. In a time of division and disillusionment where people are sick of being used as pawns in a political game, this could be a meaningful step towards rebuilding the trust between representatives and voters.

We need leaders who are bold enough to do what they know is right even if it threatens the status quo. We want policy made with people in mind rather than the pursuit of profit and power.

You give me the impression that you care. That’s why I’m writing to you. This is the first letter I’ve ever sent to a representative. I hope it’s not the last. And I hope, more than anything, that it doesn’t fall on deaf ears.

Canadians are losing hope. Please help give it back to us.

Sincerely, A concerned voter

Party election platforms on electoral reform

NDP PLATFORM:

Putting an end to unfair elections

“We will fix Canada’s broken voting system and make every vote count. For too long, our electoral system has distorted results and denied millions of Canadians real representation. In 2025, New Democrats will make sure it’s the last election held under this outdated, unfair system—ten years after the Liberals promised change and failed to act.”

“Unlike the Liberals, we will actually deliver. We will establish an independent citizens assembly to advise on how best to put in place a Mixed-Member proportional system in time for the next federal election. This will ensure that the next Parliament truly reflects the choices of voters.”

Fair Vote Canada’s comment on the NDP platform: Fair Vote Canada appreciates the NDP’s long standing support of their preferred proportional system, MMP. During the English leader’s debate, the following question was asked of Jagmeet Singh:

Steve Paikin: “If you hold the balance of power after this election, what would your price be to support another party?”

Jagmeet Singh: “We’ve laid out our priorities. We want to make sure we bring down the cost of groceries, build homes people can afford. I can also tell you that we would defend CBC, unlike Mr. Poilievre that would cut it, and we would close tax loopholes and offshore tax havens even though Mr. Carney didn’t respond to that.”

GREEN PARTY:

The plan on the front of the Green Party website states:

Strong Democracy

Making Sure Your Vote Counts

“Too many Canadians feel their votes don’t matter. They don’t trust the government to listen. Big corporations have too much power. False information spreads too easily. Our voting system is outdated. The Green Party will fix these problems. We’ll make sure every Canadian voter has a real voice in our democracy.”

A Voting System That Works

“Our current voting system isn’t fair. A party can win total power with less than half the votes. Millions of votes don’t count. Here’s how we’ll make it fairer:”

• Change to a proportional representation voting system where every vote counts
• Let young people start voting at age 16
• Restore the per-vote subsidy so small parties can compete fairly with big parties
• Create a Citizens’ Assembly to help guide these changes

Fair Vote Canada’s comment on the Green Party’s platform: This platform represents a strong commitment to proportional representation with a role for a non-partisan Citizens’ Assembly to make recommendations. Fair Vote Canada strongly supports this plan.

LIBERAL PARTY:

There is nothing in the Liberal platform about proportional representation and electoral reform.  

Fair Vote Canada’s comment on the Liberal platform: This is deeply disappointing, considering that the Liberal Party is under new leadership. The overwhelming majority of Canadians support proportional representation and believe the Liberals were wrong to break their promise.

Proportional representation happens around the world when parties are willing to compromise and work together to make it happen. A non-partisan citizens’ assembly on electoral reform, an idea which was backed by Liberal Party members at their 2023 convention, is a way to offer feedback to Parliament on the best system to make every vote count.

The Liberal Party’s 2025 platform states they will:

“Build a Canada where everyone has a fair shot, feels a sense of belonging, and contributes to our shared future by reshaping systems to better reflect and support all Canadians and make sure that no matter your heritage or identity you can fully participate in Canada.”**

The way to do this is with proportional representation, so that no matter where you live, your vote will count and will contribute to our shared future.

BLOC:

There is nothing in the Bloc platform about proportional representation.

CONSERVATIVE:

There is nothing in the Conservative platform about proportional representation.

The first is that the powerful few have the money to push propaganda on the topic to push people against their own best interests through the American-owned Sun Media. Unfortunately more respectable newspapers such as the Times Colonist allow op-eds that spread misinformation about pr to be published, we need to hold our media accountable on this as most people do not have the time to investigate the topic like we electoral nerds do.

The second is that 80% of countries that have proportional representation use the party-list system. Which takes the share of the national vote and allocates seats to the respective national parties.

The third is that most people do not understand that proportional representation is a family list of electoral systems.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ca/post/42834899

Hi all,

I’ve been thinking about the pros and cons of proportional representation (PR) versus first-past-the-post (FPTP) systems, and one issue keeps coming up that I’d like to get your perspective on.

In large countries where populations are concentrated in a few big cities, PR systems can weaken the direct link between voters and a single local representative. Unlike FPTP, where each constituency elects one MP who directly represents that community.

FPTP allows voters to elect an MP who is accountable to their specific community and can be voted out if they don’t perform well. This local accountability and clear geographic representation seems as a major advantage.

So my question to the Fair Vote community is: how do you weigh this trade-off? Is the potential weakening of local representation in PR an acceptable downside given the gains in proportionality and inclusiveness? Or do you think there are ways to design PR systems that preserve strong local representation while also improving proportionality?

Would love to hear your thoughts and any examples or experiences you might share.

Thanks!

SmartVoting.ca on Bluesky

CPC takes two from the LPC in our latest update. But the Conservative vote continues to weaken nationwide meaning more is up for grabs.

FEDERAL SEAT PROJECTION

• LPC: 189 (218)
• CPC: 122 (86)
• BQ: 23 (25)
• NDP: 8 (11)
• GPC: 1 (3)
• PPC: 0 (0)

April 22, 2025 | MOE: +/- 10

#cdnpoli #election #canada

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Glad to see commitments from @canadiangreens.bsky.social and @ndp.ca to proportional representation!

With rising authoritarianism, our democracy is too important to leave to politicians elected with just 30–40% support.

Ask your candidates where they stand, and vote accordingly.

#cdnpoli

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The “no consensus” excuse is getting old.

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#electoralreform #citizensassembly

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