Fair Vote Canada
NEWSLETTER
March 28, 2002
CONTENTS:
1) Prominent Canadians Appointed to National Advisory Council
2) Agenda Announced for General Meeting
3) 17 Candidates Running for National Council
4) Quebec Appoints Minister of Electoral Reform
5) Private Member's Bill on PR Introduced in Alberta
6) Chapter Updates
7) Request for Participants in Research Study
8) San Francisco and Vermont Back Instant Runoff Voting
-----------------------------------------------
1) Prominent Canadians Appointed to National Advisory Council
Fair Vote Canada is pleased to announce the creation of the National Advisory Council comprised of prominent Canadians from political, social and cultural circles.
The council's task is to provide advice, assist with strategy and contacts, and publicly support Fair Vote Canada.
The inclusion of current and former MPs from all major, national parties along with academics, writers, and community leaders illustrates the non-partisan nature of FVC's campaign.
The following people have been appointed to the council:
Hon. Lincoln Alexander
Dr. Patricia Baird
Maude Barlow
Dr. Sylvia Bashevkin
Carolyn Bennett, MP
Pierre Berton
Patrick Boyer
Ed Broadbent
June Callwood
Mary Eberts
Max Ferguson
Dr. Margaret Fulton
Dr. Phyllis Grosskurth
Karen Kain
Dr. Vincent Lemieux
Robin Mathews
Dr. Henry Milner
Lorne Nystrom, MP
Bernard Ostry
Dr. Sylvia Ostry
Walter Pitman
Judy Rebick
Walter Robinson
Dr. Norman Ruff
Claude Ryan
Rick Salutin
Ted White, MP
Hon. Lois Wilson
Short biographical notes of each member of the council are available by following the link from:
2) Agenda Announced for General Meeting
Fair Vote Canada's Annual General Meeting, to be held in the Parliament Buildings in Ottawa on April 26-27, promises to be an exciting time with engaging speakers, opportunities for discussion, and the announcement of the National Council election results.
The meeting will begin Friday evening with speakers from the three provinces where the movement for voting reform is the most advanced. Speaking under the theme "Voting Reform Gains in the Provinces: An Activist Perspective" will be Nick Loenen of Fair Voting BC, André Larocque of the Mouvement pour une democratie nouvelle, and Harry Baglole of Every Vote Counts (Prince Edward Island).
On Saturday, there will be a report on the legal challenge of the constitutionality of the current voting system, reports from FVC chapters and caucuses, strategy sessions and FVC business. After the AGM adjourns at 5pm,Saturday, Ontario members and other interested people will be meeitng for one hour to talk about a proposal for a Fair Vote Ontario campaign.
There is no charge for attending the meeting, although everyone planning to attend must register in advance to be permitted entrance to the Parliament Buildings. Lunch on Saturday costs $25.
Payment is by cheque only, payable to Fair Vote Canada. Mail to Fair Vote Canada, c/o #410 - 9707 110 Street, Edmonton, AB T5K 2L9. If you are not sending in a cheque, you may fax your registration to 482-1744.
3) 17 Candidates Running for National Council
Seventeen candidates are running in the first election for Fair Vote Canada's National Council. They are:
John Deverell
Troy Lanigan
Lisa Dale
Julian West
Blain Scott
Doug Bailie
Larry Gordon
Bruce Hallsor
Harvey Voogd
Christopher Billows
Nancy Peckford
Doris Anderson
J.W. (Bill) Campbell
Matt Gloyd
Nick Van der Graaf
Andre Larocque
Wayne Smith
Information about each candidate will be posted to the FVC website in early April. (Hard copies will be mailed to members without Internet access.)
All members in good standing as of February 26, 2002, are eligible to vote. Ballots will be sent out in early April and must be returned to FVC's Toronto office by April 25.
The election will fill all 15 seats on the National Council using a proportional system called the single transferable vote. Instructions on how to fill out the ballots and how they will be counted will be included in the mail-out to eligible members.
4) Quebec Appoints Minister of Electoral Reform
The government of Quebec now includes the new post of Minister for Electoral and Parliamentary Reform. Jean-Pierre Charbonneau received the job in a cabinet shuffle in late January.
Since then he has announced sweeping proposals that would not only introduce proportional representation but also change the relationship between the cabinet and the legislature.
Charbonneau's appointment came just after the announcement that a committee of MNAs would travel the province as a part of its study of Quebec's voting system and options for reform.
At a press conference last week, Charbonneau said he would present a working paper in April providing more details on his reform plans.
5) Private Member's Bill on PR Introduced in Alberta
Raj Pannu, leader of the Alberta New Democrats, introduced a private members bill aimed at ensuring elections in Alberta are broadly proportional.
The bill would create an Electoral Fairness Commission, comprised of members of the public appointed by the government and the opposition, which would hold public hearings and make recommendations on voting system reform. A referendum would then be held on the recommendations.
The bill is expected to be debated in the legislature in May. It is available online at:
http://www.assembly.ab.ca/pro/bills/ba-bill.asp?SelectBill=209
6) Chapter Updates
Following are the updates and contact information for Fair Vote Canada local chapters. Further information is available on the Chapters page of the FVC website.
-- Toronto -- Wayne Smith, Toronto@FairVoteCanada.org or 416-407-
7009.
The chapter organized a public education session on proportional
representation in east Toronto on March 19, attracting an enthusiastic
multi-partisan crowd. Larry Gordon, president of FVC, and Dennis Pilon, PhD student at York University, led the community forum. Local media covered the event. There were several requests for future speaking engagements and a number of people signed up as members of FVC.
The Ontario New Democratic Party has taken a position strongly in favour of proportional representation, and has held public hearings in Thunder Bay, Ottawa and Toronto. At the session in Toronto on March 23, chapter Chair Wayne Smith made a presentation on behalf of the chapter. Presentations were also made by Toronto chapter members Gregg Hill, John Deverell and Dennis Pilon.
The ONDP Task Force will also be holding hearings in London, Timmins and Hamilton.
The chapter holds Business & Strategy meetings on the fourth Tuesday of the month, at 7:00 p.m. at 130 Carlton Street. All committees meet, followed by an executive meeting. All members are welcome.
-- National Capital Region -- Contact info@fairvotecanada.org.
Next meeting: May 13 at 7:00 p.m., PSAC building, Carlos room.
-- Peterborough and Area -- Mark Finnan, mwf@nexicom.net or (705) 939-2556, or Raphael Thierrin, raphael@infoshaper.com or (705) 749-9890. In Port Hope-Cobourg area contact Wilf Day, dayphope@on.aibn.com (905) 885-5456.
The chapter held a voting workshop on March 16 which was attended by people from across the political spectrum and which received significant media attention. The event sparked a lot of enthusiasm and energy, and helped create more FVC campaign organizers.
A meeting of the interim executive will be held in early April. Any member is welcome to observe. The chapter's first general meeting is being planned for May.
-- Greater Vancouver -- Arn Keeling, vancouver@fairvotecanada.org.
The previously announced inaugural meeting has been postponed. A new date will be announced soon.
-- Calgary -- Matt Emmett, fvc-calgary@emmett.ca.
The next meeting is on Monday, April 8th at 19:30. For more information, please visit our website: http://fvc.emmett.ca/
-- Edmonton -- Doug Bailie, doug.bailie@fairvotecanada.org.
The chapter's founding meeting will be held on April 9 at 7 p.m. at 8421 - 101 Avenue (please use the northeast entrance). The purpose of the meeting is to adopt a set of bylaws and elect the chapter's executive. The meeting will include a video featuring comedian John Cleese talking about proportional representation.
-- Victoria -- Bruce Hallsor, Hallsor@creaseharman.com.
The Victoria chapter will have its founding meeting on April 11, 7:30 p.m., in the David Lam Auditorium, McLaren Building, on the University of Victoria campus. The leader of the BC Green Party, the leader of the BC NDP, and a BC Liberal MLA wil be there to speak in favour of electoral reform.
-- Winnipeg -- Chris Billows, cpb@accidentaldesign.com.
--Saskatoon -- Jason Hanson, komrade@shaw.ca.
If you are interested in helping start a local chapter in your area, please contact info@fairvotecanada.org or phone 416-410-4034.
7) Request for Participants in Research Study
Fair Vote Canada asks you to consider the following request from June
Macdonald:
Dear fellow Fair Vote Canada members and supporters:
I am currently working on completing my Ed.D. at the Ontario
Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto
and I wonder if you would participate in a research study I am
doing that I think will potentially be of benefit to you and to Fair
Vote Canada?
The study overall is essentially about how people in online
groups make decisions or reach consensus on a problem of a
challenging public policy issue. In this case I am using the
Canadian voting system reform as content.
Essentially, you need to have access to the Internet and basic
email and surfing skills. That is, familiarity with using a
browser such as Netscape or Internet Explorer. I am looking at
a mix of people that reflects, as much as possible, the
diversity of Canada.
My study should reflect as much as possible the diversity that is
Canada. I need more FVC members of all backgrounds including
young people (20s, 30s,) women and minority group members if possible.
If you are interested in learning more, please contact me at
jmacdonald@oise.utoronto.ca
8) San Francisco and Vermont Back Instant Runoff Voting
Voting reformers in the United States won two victories this month. San Franciscans voted 53 per cent in favour of adopting instant runoff voting for electing its most powerful elected leaders despite well-funded opposition from backers of traditional "delayed" runoffs. A Vermont League of Women Voters proposal to use instant runoff voting for statewide elections swept nearly every town meeting debating the issue.
Instant runoff voting ensures candidates win single-seat offices with
majority support. It accomplishes the goals of a traditional runoff
election in one efficient round of voting. Voters indicate both their
favorite and their runoff choices. If no candidate receives a
majority of first choices, the weak candidates are eliminated and
their supporters' votes are counted for their runoff choices. It
contrasts with conventional plurality elections which allow a
candidate to win without majority support and traditional runoff
elections which require two separate elections.
Previously in San Francisco, if no candidate won a majority of votes on the first ballot, a second ballot was held some weeks later. In Vermont, if no candidate for the governorship won a majority of votes, the legislature elected the governor.
For more information, visit the website of the Center for Voting and Democracy: http://www.fairvote.org.
--------------
[ This Message was edited by: admin on 2002-09-06 11:49 ]