All-party committee set to make a decision
The all-party committee on electoral reform (ERRE) has been meeting behind closed doors and discussing possible solutions to issues of representation with the first-past-the-post system in Canada.
The first-past-the-post system requires voters to pick one candidate on their ballot. However, there has been a lot of frustration with this system and it is reflected through parliament, citizens, and the committee.
According to The Globe and Mail, NDP democratic reform critic Nathan Cullen said that 88 per cent of “expert witnesses” polled would like to replace the first-past-the-post system with a proportional representation system.
Proportional representation means that the number of seats that a party wins is proportional to the amount of votes that a candidate has.
However, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Minister of Democratic Institutions Maryam Monsef have expressed their disagreement with a referendum to have proportional representation.
According to CTV News, Monsef claims that referendums are expensive and voter turnout for them are low.
“I’ve been quite clear from the very beginning that I don’t believe that a referendum is the best way to go about having a really complex conversation about an important public policy issue like electoral reform.”
Prime Minister Trudeau, despite his promises for electoral reform in the 2015 election, has backtracked from his initial position on the matter. According to Le Devoir, Trudeau claims that the Canadian public is no longer looking for electoral reform.
“Under Stephen Harper, there were so many people unhappy with the government and their approach that people said, ‘We need electoral reform in order to stop having governments we don’t like,’” Prime Minister Trudeau said. “However, under the current system, they now have a government with which they are more satisfied. And the thirst to change the electoral system is less striking.”
There has been some resistance to the comments made by Prime Minister Trudeau and Monsef, especially from the opposition parties like the NDP and organizations like Fair Vote Canada and Every Vote Counts.
As reported by The Canadian Press, NDP leader Thomas Mulcair said, “So the unfair system is still there. The only thing that’s changed is that Mr. Trudeau believes he’s such a good choice that the system doesn’t have to be changed anymore.”
According to Fair Vote Canada, Conservative strategist Guy Giorno said, “Committee members must endorse what’s right for Canadians, not what benefits any particular party.”
He elaborated that given the evidence that is provided by the committee, “The only legitimate option is a recommendation for proportional representation.”
The ERRE is set to make their recommendation to the Canadian government on Dec. 1, 2016.
Photo courtesy of Saffron Blaze via-CC-BY-SA-3.0.