What Is Proportional Representation?
You don't need to be an expert to know Proportional Representation will allow you to vote for your values and that your vote won't be wasted. It will help elect an MP from the party that you support. In other words, no more strategic voting! Most modern democracies use Proportional Representation. If you want to know more, read on.
Simply put, Proportional Representation (PR) is a principle, not a system. A quarter of the popular vote should get about a quarter of the seats for any party in Parliament. And in reality, that is what PR achieves, if correctly designed.
The two ways to do this are:
1) Multi-member local ridings (Single Transferable Vote - PR-STV) Click here to learn much more. .
3) Or possibly one of the best systems, a combination of the two, designed for our rural geography (Rural-Urban Proportional) requiring the least number of additional MPs in Parliament. Click here to learn much more.
Simply put, Proportional Representation (PR) is a principle, not a system. A quarter of the popular vote should get about a quarter of the seats for any party in Parliament. And in reality, that is what PR achieves, if correctly designed.
- All PR systems under consideration for Canada keep local representation. All PR systems under consideration for Canada keep all MPs elected by the voters.
- To get proportionality - a diversity of views elected proportional to how people voted - you must elect more than one winner. (A "multi-member" riding of some kind).
The two ways to do this are:
1) Multi-member local ridings (Single Transferable Vote - PR-STV) Click here to learn much more. .
- For example, instead of five ridings each electing one member using first-past-the-post, you elect five MPs to one larger local riding.
- Voters rank their choices of candidates, as few or as many as they like, and elect a local team of MPs, which will reflect the diversity of opinions in that area.
- Larger local ridings in a region - about two thirds bigger - still electing one member per riding using our current "First Past The Post" system... About sixty percent of MPs are elected this way.
- Then add regional "compensatory seats" for the other forty percent of MPs, to fix the distorted results of the local riding elections.
- Voters choose a local MP in a first-past-the-post race, then choose one candidate from a regional party list.
- The regional list is "the party vote." A vote for any candidate on that list counts towards the party vote.
- If a party gets a third of the party vote, they should have a third of the seats in that region. If they didn't elect enough local MPs to equal a third, they'll elect MPs off their regional list until the result is proportional to "the party vote."
3) Or possibly one of the best systems, a combination of the two, designed for our rural geography (Rural-Urban Proportional) requiring the least number of additional MPs in Parliament. Click here to learn much more.
What's wrong with our current system, "First Past the Post?"
From www.everyvotercounts.ca , an alliance of over sixty organizations supporting Proportional Representation:
Canada uses a voting system based on a “winner-take-all” principle. In recent elections, upwards of half of all voters cast ballots that are not converted into representation – meaning they cast ballots for losing candidates in ridings across the country. In the 2015 federal election, over nine million ineffective votes were cast. As a result, many voters feel that their votes do not matter. This structure also means that our voting system routinely results in “majority” governments in which a party with a minority of votes gains control of the parliamentary agenda.We need a modern, proportional voting system that will respect voter intention, make every vote count, deliver fair results, and help us elect a legislature that reflects the preferences of all Canadians.
Canada uses a voting system based on a “winner-take-all” principle. In recent elections, upwards of half of all voters cast ballots that are not converted into representation – meaning they cast ballots for losing candidates in ridings across the country. In the 2015 federal election, over nine million ineffective votes were cast. As a result, many voters feel that their votes do not matter. This structure also means that our voting system routinely results in “majority” governments in which a party with a minority of votes gains control of the parliamentary agenda.We need a modern, proportional voting system that will respect voter intention, make every vote count, deliver fair results, and help us elect a legislature that reflects the preferences of all Canadians.
Inherited from our Colonial Past: Only these former British colonies still use First Past the Post as their electoral system. It was originally conceived in order to keep control in the hands of the aristocrats. Over time corporations have come to replace the aristocrats in assuming control over our quasi-democracy. Clicking on the image to the left will take you to the Wikipedia article.
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What about the Liberals preference for a new system, "Alternative Vote or Preferential Ballot?"
In a nutshell, this system favours the Liberal Party which explains why Liberal strategists like it so much.
From www.everyvotercounts.ca:
A ranked ballot is not a voting system - it is a feature that can be part of a majoritarian “winner-take-all” system or of a proportional voting system. Using a ranked ballot in single member ridings, such as those we have today, is a variation of first-past-the-post. It would continue to waste about half of votes cast, produce distorted overall results (false majorities), and replicate many of the problems experienced under our current system. A ranked ballot can also be built into almost any proportional system, such as Single Transferable Vote or Mixed Member Proportional.
If Canada had used the Liberal proposed Alternative Vote system in the 2015 election, they would have even a bigger majority of seats in Parliament based on the minority of the popular vote they received. Click here to see the explanation as well as a chart comparing 2015 election results under First Past the Postm then simulated under Alternative Vote and Proportional Representation.
From www.everyvotercounts.ca:
A ranked ballot is not a voting system - it is a feature that can be part of a majoritarian “winner-take-all” system or of a proportional voting system. Using a ranked ballot in single member ridings, such as those we have today, is a variation of first-past-the-post. It would continue to waste about half of votes cast, produce distorted overall results (false majorities), and replicate many of the problems experienced under our current system. A ranked ballot can also be built into almost any proportional system, such as Single Transferable Vote or Mixed Member Proportional.
If Canada had used the Liberal proposed Alternative Vote system in the 2015 election, they would have even a bigger majority of seats in Parliament based on the minority of the popular vote they received. Click here to see the explanation as well as a chart comparing 2015 election results under First Past the Postm then simulated under Alternative Vote and Proportional Representation.
What other Proportional Representation Systems are being proposed?
Local Proportional Representation
An exciting new development is a grassroots initiative with regional cross-party MP support coming from the Guelph/Waterloo region. A door to door canvass is now in process to gather signatures in support that Guelph. Liberal MP, Lloyd Longfield, may agree to take to Parliament as a private members bill if strong local support is shown.. The group would like to see this system replicated across Canada. The ballot would list MPs as they are normally presented in each of four to seven regional ridings, arranged as a table with columns of candidates from each riding and rows of their associated Parties. The ballot would be marked with either a single X as usual or ranked in order for as many candidates as desired across all ridings in the region. Ballots can be ranked for candidates from just one Party in the region or in any other way. When counted, regional candidates would be sorted by rank until a 50% majority in each riding. The lowest ranked candidate would be eliminated, and in successive counting rounds until each riding had a local candidate with a majority of the ranked votes across the region. An exception to the elimination rule would be that the last local candidate could not be eliminated, ensuring each riding has a local MP representing it. To learn more click here. This system will require fast action to be in place for 2019, It has a set of features that may overcome objections to PR coming from the Canada's political parties.
There are two other systems being proposed which require very little change to our current system without adding any MPs, so they could be easily implemented in 2019 for the 2019 election.
Simple MMP
Ridings in a province would normally be paired, electing two MPs - one local MP with the most votes and the other "top-up MP" decided upon in series of province-wide selections from the runners up. The top-ups are calculated each time by finding the Party with the highest amount of disproportionality or unrepresented vote. Each top-up seat would be awarded to the candidate with the highest percentage of the vote from the most unrepresented Party. The process would be repeated until all the top-up seats are allocated. While the names of the top-up MPs might not be known until all the ballots are counted, the overall results would be proportional, and can be televised in real time on election night. For details click here.
Single Member Party Proportional SMPP
Weighted votes are calculated for MPs based on their party's percentage of the total popular vote on a per province basis. The ballot remains the same as now but adds a preferred "Party Vote." There is a calculation applied after the election to achieve proportionality for each province. For a detailed proposal click here.. There is a simple to understand video linked here. There is a government e-petition e-790 you can sign for this system by clicking here.
An exciting new development is a grassroots initiative with regional cross-party MP support coming from the Guelph/Waterloo region. A door to door canvass is now in process to gather signatures in support that Guelph. Liberal MP, Lloyd Longfield, may agree to take to Parliament as a private members bill if strong local support is shown.. The group would like to see this system replicated across Canada. The ballot would list MPs as they are normally presented in each of four to seven regional ridings, arranged as a table with columns of candidates from each riding and rows of their associated Parties. The ballot would be marked with either a single X as usual or ranked in order for as many candidates as desired across all ridings in the region. Ballots can be ranked for candidates from just one Party in the region or in any other way. When counted, regional candidates would be sorted by rank until a 50% majority in each riding. The lowest ranked candidate would be eliminated, and in successive counting rounds until each riding had a local candidate with a majority of the ranked votes across the region. An exception to the elimination rule would be that the last local candidate could not be eliminated, ensuring each riding has a local MP representing it. To learn more click here. This system will require fast action to be in place for 2019, It has a set of features that may overcome objections to PR coming from the Canada's political parties.
There are two other systems being proposed which require very little change to our current system without adding any MPs, so they could be easily implemented in 2019 for the 2019 election.
Simple MMP
Ridings in a province would normally be paired, electing two MPs - one local MP with the most votes and the other "top-up MP" decided upon in series of province-wide selections from the runners up. The top-ups are calculated each time by finding the Party with the highest amount of disproportionality or unrepresented vote. Each top-up seat would be awarded to the candidate with the highest percentage of the vote from the most unrepresented Party. The process would be repeated until all the top-up seats are allocated. While the names of the top-up MPs might not be known until all the ballots are counted, the overall results would be proportional, and can be televised in real time on election night. For details click here.
Single Member Party Proportional SMPP
Weighted votes are calculated for MPs based on their party's percentage of the total popular vote on a per province basis. The ballot remains the same as now but adds a preferred "Party Vote." There is a calculation applied after the election to achieve proportionality for each province. For a detailed proposal click here.. There is a simple to understand video linked here. There is a government e-petition e-790 you can sign for this system by clicking here.
What other PR initiatives are being proposed?
There is a Supreme Court challenge gathering pledges to take it through the court systems to by 2018. In about one month it gathered pledges totally nearly a third of the estimated $360,000 required. To learn more click here.