Green Party MPs will push for Citizens' Assembly to renew democracy

583,000 Canadians can vote for the Green Party and not elect a single MP, while 500,000 Liberal party votes elected 22 MPs in Atlantic Canada

(Vancouver, Wednesday, 4 January 2006) - A citizens' assembly modeled on the recent B.C. approach is the best way to achieve the reforms necessary to address the growing democratic deficit within Canada's federal electoral system and engage Canadians, particularly young voters, said Green Party of Canada leader Jim Harris today.

"One of the first acts of Green Party MPs would be to push for the creation of a broad-based, result-driven public consultation process to determine the form of proportional representation that best serves Canadians for the next federal election," said Harris. "Not only will proportional representation ensure more political voices in Parliament, it will also ensure a Parliament that is more reflective of Canada with greater numbers of women and new Canadians elected."

Harris drew attention to the anomaly with Canada's first-past-the post system where 583,000 Canadians can vote for the Green Party and not elect a single MP, while 500,000 Liberal party votes elected 22 MPs in Atlantic Canada. MPs are now often elected with significantly less than a plurality of the popular vote in many ridings, effectively disenfranchising the majority of local residents.

"The Green Party is pleased that more-and-more Canadians are adding their voice to the call for democratic renewal. Notably, former NDP leader Ed Broadbent recently stated that Canadians want five political voices in the House of Commons, including the Green Party," said Harris.

Harris noted that the disillusionment of Canadians has reached such a level that in 2004, the Liberal, Conservative and NDP won one million less votes than they did in 1984, despite 5.7 million new voters. More people didn't vote than voted in all of the other provinces and territories combined, excluding Ontario. Canada's participation rate was at a record low with just over 60 per cent of Canadians voting. In contrast, in Sweden's last election, 80 per cent of registered voters cast ballots.

"The need for urgent action is based on the recognition that our system adopted at the time of Confederation is now antiquated and no longer meets the needs of Canadians," said Harris. "It's easy to accumulate a democratic deficit and just like a fiscal deficit, it is increasingly costly if not addressed."

Green Party MPs will advocate an electoral system that offers a balance between ensuring that the number of elected parliamentarians closely reflects the level of national support for the party, and ensuring that the voter has a say in choosing a local candidate who will best represent their local interests.