FAIR VOTE CANADA NEWSLETTER
February 18, 2004


In this issue:

-- Law Commission of Canada to recommend PR system for Canada
-- Saskatchewan becomes sixth province to study voting reform
-- CBC program inundated with calls for PR
-- BC electoral reformers meet
-- Fair Vote Ontario executive announced

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LAW COMMISSION OF CANADA TO RECOMMEND PR
SYSTEM FOR CANADA

The February 2 edition of the Globe and Mail reported the Law Commission of Canada will soon send a recommendation to the House of Commons to scrap Canada's first-past-the-post voting system. The Commission will recommend adoption of a mixed member proportional (MMP) voting system. In the same edition of the Globe, columnist John Ibbitson said such a move would "profoundly reshape Canadian politics."

Under the system proposed by the Law Commission, citizens would vote for a local riding representative and also cast a vote for the party of their choice. Two-thirds of the seats in the House would be filled by local riding MPs. The remaining one-third would be filled by MPs elected from the lists to ensure that the overall portion of seats held by each party reflects that party's share of the popular vote. Similar MMP systems are used in Germany, New Zealand and Scotland. Last fall, the Quebec government also announced it will introduce legislation for an MMP system.

SASKATCHEWAN BECOMES THE SIXTH PROVINCE TO
STUDY VOTING REFORM

An article in the February 3 issue of the Regina Leader-Post reported that Premier Lorne Calvert is forming an internal government caucus committee to begin looking at proportional representation alternatives for Saskatchewan. This makes Saskatchewan the sixth Canadian province to begin examining significant voting system reform. Calvert's initiative leaves Alberta, Manitoba, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland as the only provinces not formally considering reform.

CBC SHOW INUNDATED WITH CALLS FOR PR

CBC Radio's Cross Country Check-Up on February 8 was supposed to focus on the Prime Minister's proposals for the reform of Parliamentary voting and committee procedures. Many callers drew attention to the bigger issue - the need for electoral reform and proportional representation. One of the callers receiving extensive air time was J'Nan Brown, a Fair Vote Canada national council member from PEI.

BC ELECTORAL REFORMERS MEET

On February 14, Fair Vote Canada hosted a meeting of provincial electoral reform leaders and organization representatives in Vancouver. The meeting discussed the development of a common strategy for providing input to the BC Citizens' Assembly on Electoral Reform. The reformers also talked about the likely need for a "Yes" campaign to ensure success with the expected referendum on a new voting system to be held in May 2005.

FAIR VOTE ONTARIO EXECUTIVE ANNOUNCED

Fair Vote Canada members in Ontario were canvassed for volunteers to work on the upcoming provincial reform campaign and referendum in that province. Members were also invited to put their names forward for the campaign's executive committee.

Five volunteers stepped forward for the five elected positions. The Fair Vote Ontario executive will be: Wilf Day, Harry Joosten, Joe Murray, Peter Ruehlicke and Wayne Smith. FVC president Doris Anderson and executive director Larry Gordon will be ex officio members. The primary campaign objective in 2004 will be pressing the Ontario government to adopt the BC citizens' assembly process.




[ This Message was edited by: admin on 2004-02-24 15:26 ]