Electoral reform was launched into the news last week when Ontario Liberal leader, Steven Del Duca, announced his plan to add a ranked ballot to the province’s First Past the Post system should he become premier next year. That his party is likely to be the primary beneficiary of such a change was not lost on the public who made their displeasure clear across social media.
Furthermore, Del Duca’s announcement flew in the face of his party’s own public consultations which found only 10% support for his proposed change, whereas 91% of participants preferred moving to a more proportional system. The decision seems to indicate a substantial disconnect between the Ontario Liberal party and the people they aim to represent. What’s really going on here?
For starters, it’s worth noting Del Duca’s ranked ballot proposal (also known as the Alternative Vote – AV) isn’t all that different from First Past the Post given it continues to exclusively use single member ridings. In fact, AV would make it easier for one party to obtain absolute power in Queen’s Park specifically due to the ranking process funnelling votes from smaller parties to larger, more established ones, effectively eliminating political diversity in the legislature.
Del Duca defended his position by saying AV will reduce polarization and reward parties who find common ground. We need only look at Australia – where AV is used to elect its lower house – to see such a claim does not hold water. In fact, the end result of Australia moving to AV was the establishment of a two party system: Labour vs the Liberal-National Coalition (this “coalition” being permanent and not the kind referred to in proportional systems).
In addition, the rivalry between these two factions is anything but cordial and Australian politics is plagued by the very toxicity Del Duca claims AV prevents.
That being said, the Liberal leader also promised a citizens’ assembly (CA) to look at additional changes that could be made to the system after prioritizing AV – ostensibly his own preferred outcome. Such an assembly was actually struck by the Ontario Liberals back in 2006 by then-premier Dalton McGuinty. That particular CA proposed a switch to mixed-member proportional representation (MMP) with 92% support, 94 votes to 8.
While the CA’s MMP proposal ultimately failed in the ensuing provincial referendum, it’s incredibly telling that every citizens’ assembly on electoral reform in Canada has proposed a form of PR. Ranked ballots in the form of the Alternative Vote have never been recommended.
At the end of the day, First Past the Post and AV are simply two sides of the same coin: they both keep one party in power at the expense of a majority of voters wanting to be represented by somebody else. A system that stacks the seats in favour of one party isn’t what Ontarians want, but with Del Duca, it might be the one they get.
Tell the Ontario NDP and Greens to show leadership on electoral reform!
Send a message to Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath, Ontario NDP Democratic Reform Critic Peggy Sattler, and Ontario Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner asking them to say NO to winner-take-all ranked ballots and to show leadership on electoral reform!
Click here to send your letter
Better Covid outcomes for countries using proportional representation
A new study released earlier this month identifies proportional representation as a key factor in better outcomes on COVID-19. Among their key findings:
“Turning to electoral systems, the six countries keeping their death rate growth below 50% all had proportional representation electoral systems, with the top two having customized variants.”
“The strongest, and least anticipated, findings come from the political characteristics. The clear linkage between resisting the initial wave of the pandemic or successful recovery from it are strongly associated with proportional representation, and with the likelihood of having a coalition government and of a female prime minister.”
Interested in getting involved with Fair Vote Ontario?
We have many ongoing volunteer projects, and more opportunities to come with an election on the horizon. If you’re interested in or just curious about volunteering with Fair Vote, join our upcoming Ontario volunteers’ meeting on Thursday, November 4th at 7pm! It’s a collaborative meeting where we’ll go over our current initiatives, brainstorm new ones, and get to know each other.
Electoral Reform in the News
More and more Canadians are hearing about the need for Proportional Representation as electoral reform continues to be discussed across the country. Here’s a sample of what’s being said:
A recent Angus Reid poll presented Canadians with a rendering of the 2021 election results that would have been produced if their ballots had counted proportionally. An overwhelming 61% saying they preferred the proportional outcome compared to what actually happened under First Past the Post.
While the freedom to vote your heart would no doubt impact the actual results, this poll once again proves there is broad consensus for proportional representation in Canada and it’s time our politicians finally caught up.
