Equal Effective Votes and Proportional Representation
Preamble
Whereas at each election half of all Canadian voters, including nearly all Green Party voters, are unable to elect a representative of their choice to the House of Commons
And whereas, in a society deeming itself free and democratic, this electoralreality mocks the Charter of Rights and Freedoms promise of equal treatment before the law as it pertains to the right to vote and to effective representation in the creation of law, policy and government.
And whereas authoritative public studies have recommended that Canada’s winner-take-all electoral system be replaced by one providing equal effective votes for citizens and representation in the House of Commons and provincial legislatures in close proportion to votes cast.
Operative
BE IT RESOLVED THAT the GPC advocates amendment of the Canada Elections Act forthwith to provide all Canadian citizens with equal effective votes and representation in the House of Commons in close proportion to votes cast.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED the GPC advocates the immediate appointment of an all-party commission with expert assistance to review previous studies, consult the public, devise a system of elected proportional representation in the House of Commons within the constraints imposed by Canada’s geography and federal constitution, and report its recommendation to the House, including draft legislation, within 12 months.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that G02-d4 is hereby rescinded.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the GPC Executive develop, as soon as possible, a preferred model of proportional representation, including a high degree of proportionality.
Background
Green voters experience the democratic deficit all the time – but so do supporters of every other party, notably Conservatives in Quebec and the Atlantic, Liberals in the prairies, and New Democrats in most provinces.
The winner-take-all system in single-member districts denies sincere representation to all voters who don’t vote for the winning candidate – and that’s been half of all voters in all recent federal elections.
In the current Parliament of 308 members Green voters elected one MP – Elizabeth May. There were 576,000 Green voters and they accounted for 3.9 per cent of the total vote cast in the general election. If the Canada Elections Act treated Greens as equal citizens, we would have elected 12 Members of Parliament to represent us.
The electoral system is radically contemptuous of most Green voters – and of half of all Canadian voters.
Current Electoral Policy G02-d4 was established before we witnessed the government and corporate manipulation of referenda -- notably two in BC and one in Ontario – to reject recommendations by Citizen Assemblies for equal effective votes and proportional representation.
G02-d4 asks us to repeat the exhausting and dismal experiences of 2005, 2007 and 2009 with a royal commission followed by a referendum, that to include an option to retain first-past-the-post and the non-representation of half the voting population.
It is an optimistic policy since discredited by an unbroken record of defeat.
We’re overdue for a reboot.
Canada, a society deeming itself free and democratic, should not be conducting referenda on whether to recognize the basic democratic right of every citizen to an equal effective vote and fair representation.
Instead, at the first available opportunity, a majority in Parliament representing a majority of Canadian voters should consult quickly and enact a Charter-compliant system of equal effective votes and the proportional representation of citizens in the House of Commons.
Code
Proposal Type
Submitter Name
Party Commentary
If accepted, this motion will replace current motion G02-d4 which calls for a Royal commission and referendum in order to change the federal voting system. This motion is inconsistent with G02-d4 and if it is accepted, G02-d4 will need to be rescinded, or the two motions will need to be combined to ensure consistency in Green Party policy.
Preamble
Whereas at each election half of all Canadian voters, including nearly all Green Party voters, are unable to elect a representative of their choice to the House of Commons
And whereas, in a society deeming itself free and democratic, this electoralreality mocks the Charter of Rights and Freedoms promise of equal treatment before the law as it pertains to the right to vote and to effective representation in the creation of law, policy and government.
And whereas authoritative public studies have recommended that Canada’s winner-take-all electoral system be replaced by one providing equal effective votes for citizens and representation in the House of Commons and provincial legislatures in close proportion to votes cast.
Operative
BE IT RESOLVED THAT the GPC advocates amendment of the Canada Elections Act forthwith to provide all Canadian citizens with equal effective votes and representation in the House of Commons in close proportion to votes cast.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED the GPC advocates the immediate appointment of an all-party commission with expert assistance to review previous studies, consult the public, devise a system of elected proportional representation in the House of Commons within the constraints imposed by Canada’s geography and federal constitution, and report its recommendation to the House, including draft legislation, within 12 months.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that G02-d4 is hereby rescinded.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the GPC Executive develop, as soon as possible, a preferred model of proportional representation, including a high degree of proportionality.
Sponsors
Background
Green voters experience the democratic deficit all the time – but so do supporters of every other party, notably Conservatives in Quebec and the Atlantic, Liberals in the prairies, and New Democrats in most provinces.
The winner-take-all system in single-member districts denies sincere representation to all voters who don’t vote for the winning candidate – and that’s been half of all voters in all recent federal elections.
In the current Parliament of 308 members Green voters elected one MP – Elizabeth May. There were 576,000 Green voters and they accounted for 3.9 per cent of the total vote cast in the general election. If the Canada Elections Act treated Greens as equal citizens, we would have elected 12 Members of Parliament to represent us.
The electoral system is radically contemptuous of most Green voters – and of half of all Canadian voters.
Current Electoral Policy G02-d4 was established before we witnessed the government and corporate manipulation of referenda -- notably two in BC and one in Ontario – to reject recommendations by Citizen Assemblies for equal effective votes and proportional representation.
G02-d4 asks us to repeat the exhausting and dismal experiences of 2005, 2007 and 2009 with a royal commission followed by a referendum, that to include an option to retain first-past-the-post and the non-representation of half the voting population.
It is an optimistic policy since discredited by an unbroken record of defeat.
We’re overdue for a reboot.
Canada, a society deeming itself free and democratic, should not be conducting referenda on whether to recognize the basic democratic right of every citizen to an equal effective vote and fair representation.
Instead, at the first available opportunity, a majority in Parliament representing a majority of Canadian voters should consult quickly and enact a Charter-compliant system of equal effective votes and the proportional representation of citizens in the House of Commons.
Party Commentary
If accepted, this motion will replace current motion G02-d4 which calls for a Royal commission and referendum in order to change the federal voting system. This motion is inconsistent with G02-d4 and if it is accepted, G02-d4 will need to be rescinded, or the two motions will need to be combined to ensure consistency in Green Party policy.