Fair Vote Canada
NEWSLETTER
June 12, 2001
CONTENTS:
1) Our Cause is Gaining Momentum
2) Local Chapter Updates
3) Solid Majority of Western Canadians Favour PR
4) House of Commons Debates Voting System Reform
5) PEI Moves Forward on PR Study
6) Montreal Meeting a Huge Success
7) Women's Group Promotes PR
-----------------------------------------------
1) Our Cause is Gaining Momentum
The drive to change Canada's voting system is gaining momentum as Fair Vote Canada's message is beginning to be heard.
The amount of media comment on the voting system and proportional representation has increased significantly in the past month with commentary pieces in the Globe and Mail, the Toronto Star, the Journal de Montreal and the Edmonton Journal, among others. Fair Vote Canada received a mention in most of these, including a lead editorial in the National Post which defended the current winner-take-all system.
"Skeptics have told us that voting system reform is only a dream, that Canadians don't really care and the system can't be changed," said FVC President Larry Gordon.
"But they're wrong. We're building a citizens' campaign, the likes of which this country has never seen."
As FVC's organizational strength increases we continue to pursue partnerships with other organizations. An announcement will be made soon regarding our proposal to the Law Commission of Canada for the running of joint projects.
Also, FVC's National Council has added two members in the past month.
* André Larocque was former deputy-minister for electoral reform under Premier René Lévesque, and is currently electoral reform spokesperson for the Action Démocratique du Québec.
* J'nan Brown lives in Clyde River, PEI. She has been active with women's groups (CARAL PEI and Women's Network). She became actively involved in politics in 1996 as an NDP candidate in her provincial riding.
The increased attention to the issue of voting reform comes at the same time that FVC has launched its membership drive. Interested individuals can print off a membership form from the Join Fair Vote page on our website, www.fairvotecanada.org, and brochures are currently being distributed. If you would like to help circulate the brochure, contact info@fairvotecanada.org or phone 416-410-4034.
FVC needs your support to ensure that democratic reform will happen. Please join today.
2) Local Chapter Updates
Ottawa - A meeting was held on June 11 where the upcoming election of the Ottawa Chapter's executive was discussed. The vote will be held on June 18. For details, please contact Dan Biocchi at dbdata@home.com. The next regular meeting will be July 9th, 7p.m., place TBA.
Toronto - The next meeting of the Toronto Chapter will be Monday, July 9, 2001 at 7:00 p.m. in the party room at 130 Carlton Street. Local chapter structure and election procedure will be a major discussion topic, as well as the ongoing membership drive. Contact Wayne Smith, 416-407- 7009, wayneon@hotmail.com.
Edmonton - Thirty-one people attended a preliminary meeting for the establishment of the Edmonton Chapter last month. Discussion centered on what could be done locally to promote voting system reform, and an organizational committee was established to continue to develop the local chapter's activities. For more information, contact Doug Bailie at doug.bailie@fairvotecanada.org.
If you are interested in helping start a local chapter in your area, please contact info@fairvotecanada.org or phone 416-410-4034.
3) Solid Majority of Western Canadians Favour PR
70 per cent of Western Canadians support the
adoption of a proportional voting system according to an opinion poll released by the Canada West Foundation last week.
Poll respondents were asked whether they agreed with the statement "Canada should replace the present electoral system with an electoral system based on proportional representation." A majority in every province responded in favour of the statement, but the highest level of support was in British Columbia.
The poll also found that Canadian Alliance supporters were the most likely group of voters to support proportional representation with 80 per cent in favour versus 60 per cent among Liberal and NDP voters.
The poll surveyed 3,256 people. There is 95 per cent certainty the survey results are accurate to within +/- 1.7 per cent. For more details, go to www.cwf.ca and click on "Research Projects."
---
Please consider signing up for an automatic monthly donation to FVC. Sign-up forms are available from the Join Fair Vote page on our website, www.fairvotecanada.org.
---
4) Commons Debate
The House of Commons debated a motion on proportional representation on May 29. The non- votable, private member's motion put forward by Lorne Nystrom, NDP-MP for Regina-Qu'Appelle, called for an all-party committee of the House to look into how Canada might adopt a measure of proportional representation in its elections. The motion also called for a referendum on any changes to the voting system recommended by the committee.
Proportional representation "would empower people to make sure that their votes would count not just on election night but during the whole four year period that the House of Commons is in session," Nystrom said.
MPs from all parties spoke favourably to the motion. Scott Reid, Canadian Alliance MP for Lanark-Carleton, recommended a two-stage referendum in which Canadians would vote on various voting-system options drawn up by a non- partisan or all-party commission.
Clifford Lincoln (Liberal, Lac-Saint-Louis) said, "I wish the motion had been made votable because I would have voted for it. I believe we must study these questions. During this quiet debate I felt there was a consensus or a feeling among us that nobody had the perfect answer but that everybody wanted to seek out a way to make democracy fairer and more workable."
Other speakers in favour of the motion were Stéphane Bergeron (BQ Verchères-Les-Patriotes) and Greg Thompson (PC New Brunswick Southwest). The only speaker against the motion was Derek Lee, parliamentary secretary for government house leader Don Boudria.
For the full text of the debate, go to the Parliament of Canada website at www.parl.gc.ca and check the House debates for May 29.
5) PEI Moves Forward on PR Study
Elections PEI is expected to announce several options for a new voting system later this year.
Lorne Nystrom, NDP-MP, recently met with PEI Premier Pat Binns and discussed voting system reform with him. In the House of Commons, Nystrom said, "My conversation with the premier has led me to believe that he is very sincere about putting the question to the people of Prince Edward Island in a referendum."
A special committee of the PEI legislature looking into the voting system recommended that Elections PEI study how proportional representation might work on the Island. The committee's report was tabled in April.
Three out of the four most recent elections in PEI have returned oppositions of only one or two members.
6) Montreal Meeting a Huge Success
The launch of le Mouvement pour une démocratie nouvelle (MDN) in Montreal on May 29 was a huge success. About 200 people attended a debate featuring representatives of all three parties in the National Assembly, plus a representative of the Union des forces progressistes. Political scientists Vincent Lemieux and Henry Milner also participated.
The debate was titled "Does the electoral system serve the needs of the people of Québec?"
Officially, all four parties -- the Parti Québécois, the Liberals, Action Démocratique, and the Union des forces progressistes -- have officially adopted PR as part of their platforms.
Marie Malavoy, first vice president of the PQ, was asked to commit herself to pushing for a government commission on voting system reform. She responded that she would report back to the PQ about the idea, but made no commitment. MDN's website is available at http://pages.infinit.net/mdn.
7) Women's Group Promotes PR
Equal Voice, a new group promoting the election of women to public office, was launched last week.
The group is a revived version of the Committee of '94 which disbanded after if failed to achieve its goal of 50 per cent representation for women in the House of Commons by 1994.
The new group is promoting proportional representation as a way of increasing the number of women and minorities elected to public office.
Out of 301 ridings, 62 women were elected in last November's federal election.
The non-partisan group includes such individuals as former Toronto Star columnist Rosemary Speirs; Maria Minna, the federal international co- operation minister; Janet Ecker, Ontario education minister; Frances Lankin, New Democrat MPP and former provincial minister; Toronto Councillor Olivia Chow; and former Toronto mayor Barbara Hall.
-----------------------------------