Well, another federal election has recently taken place that has left us with a situation remarkably similar to the one we had previously. The Conservatives, with only 38% of the vote, managed to win 143 seats. The Liberals, with 26%, have 76 seats; the NDP, with 18%, elected 37 MPs; while the Bloc with 10% of the vote elected 50 MPs. The Green Party with 7%, representing 940,000 voters, was once again shut out.
Under the current electoral system, Parliament does not accurately reflect the percentage of votes cast. Our “first-past-the-post” system is clearly undemocratic and has to change if the way Canadians vote is ever to truly shape the make-up of our government.
If we had a proportional representation (PR) system, our Parliament would be an exciting place where healthy compromises would have to be made to move legislation forward, introducing a more civil tone in the House of Commons. If we had a PR system, MPs would be elected in such a way as to more closely reflect the will of the people, restoring a belief that voting makes a difference. More and more Canadians would take an interest and become engaged in the democratic process.
It is true that the economic crisis is the main item on the agenda today. As the government struggles to develop a program to tackle this crisis, we should not lose sight of at least initiating the movement towards PR.
British Columbians will be considering a model of Proportional Representation in a referendum being held in conjunction with the next provincial election in May of 2009. Let’s continue those efforts by convincing our federal politicians that it is in the best interest of true democracy to implement a system of PR in Canada.
According to Fair Vote Canada, this is what our Parliament would have looked like after the last election under a system of proportional representation:
Conservatives 38% 117 seats
Liberals 26% 81 seats
NDP 18% 57 seats
Bloc 10% 28 seats
Greens 7% 23 seats
What do you think? Is it worth a try?
Alex Atamanenko, MP
BC Southern Interior