OTTAWA - Members of the Association for the Advancement of Democratic Rights, represented by the accomplished
constitutional Montreal lawyer, Julius Grey, will file their appeal to the
Supreme Court to have heard, their case regarding the constitutional merits of
first-past-the-post. The motion asks for the system to be struck down. A
favorable decision would prohibit its continued use in Quebec and would
certainly impact on its continued use in the rest of Canada.
Elizabeth May and Fair Vote Canada
were granted intervenor status by the Quebec Court of Appeal and will again
apply for such status if the case were to be heard by Canada's Supreme Court.
Both parties are represented by Peter Rosenthal, an experienced
constitutional lawyer from Toronto, who has also been successful in his
presentations before Canada's highest court.
“Canada’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms guarantees us the
right to vote,” said Wayne Smith, Executive Director of Fair Vote Canada (FVC).
“The Supreme Court has ruled in previous decisions that this doesn’t just mean
the right to put a piece of paper in a box. We are guaranteed the right to
effective representation.”
At the press conference Smith announced that, Fair Vote
Canada, Canada’s national citizens’ movement for electoral reform will
contribute $10,000 in matching funding to support a challenge in the Supreme
Court of Canada.
“The damage
done by first-past-the-post extends from the voting box to the very degradation
of political discourse in this country,” added Green Party Leader Elizabeth
May. “When a party can achieve majority control over the entire country with as
little as 38% it is evident that our voting system delivers unfair and anti-democratic
results.”
“Having gone through the courts in Quebec only to have our
empirical evidence and expert testimony virtually ignored, we are hoping
that the Supreme Court will hear our appeal and give our case due
consideration,” said Brian Gibb from the Association for the Advancement of
Democratic Rights and one of the principle plaintiffs in
the case. “We anticipate that the Court will render its decision on
whether to hear our case within the next six months.”
Contacts:
Rebecca Harrison
Green Party of Canada
media@greenparty.ca
613-614-4916
Wayne Smith
Executive Director
Fair Vote Canada
416-407-7009
wayne.smith@fairvote.ca
Brian Gibb
Association for the Advancement of Democratic Rights
613-854-4640