FAIR VOTE CANADA
NEWSLETTER: May 2004

MOUVEMENT POUR LA REPRÉSENTATION ÉQUITABLE AU CANADA
BULLETIN D'INFORMATION: Mai 2004


In this issue

- FVC plans nationwide campaign during federal election
- FVC Council election results announced
- Charter challenge on Quebec voting system


FAIR VOTE CANADA PLANS NATIONWIDE CAMPAIGN DURING FEDERAL ELECTION

With a federal election call expected in the coming days, Fair Vote Canada is mounting its most ambitious grassroots and media relations campaign ever. FVC members and other supporters are now set in approximately half the federal ridings to distribute leaflets, question candidates, place newspaper and newsletter stories, and contact local media. The campaign theme is "Make this the LAST unfair election!"

"The response has been fantastic, but we still need many more volunteers," said FVC executive director Larry Gordon. "Members and others who can help with just one or more tasks - handing out leaflets, attending a candidates meeting, or something else - please contact us at info@fairvotecanada.org. We can provide more details on the types of help needed. If you can lend a hand to our cause, now is the time!"

The campaign action kit and a series of four flyers are now available on the Publications page at http://www.fairvotecanada.org. However, all potential volunteers are asked to contact FVC first before using these materials.

FVC COUNCIL ELECTION RESULTS ANNOUNCED

The election results for the FVC National Council were announced at the annual meeting in Toronto on April 24. The FVC National Council has 15 seats, with five three-year positions elected each year. The FVC election uses the single transferable vote (STV), a proportional voting system best suited for elections where candidates are not affiliated with parties or slates.

The five successful candidates were: Linda Sheppard (Toronto, ON), Julian West (Nanaimo, BC), Wilf Day (Port Hope, ON), Stephen Broscoe (Vancouver, BC) and Bruce Hallsor (Victoria, BC).

The FVC National Council subsequently appointed its Executive Committee for the coming year: Doris Anderson (president), Bruce Hallsor (vice president/secretary), John Deverell (treasurer), June Macdonald (at large) and Julian West (at large).

CHARTER CHALLENGE ON QUEBEC VOTING SYSTEM

Four members of the newly founded l'Association pour la revendication des droits démocratiques (ARDD) filed a charter challenge of the voting system in Quebec, arguing that the system clearly contravenes the right to vote in section three of the Charter as interpreted by the Supreme Court of Canada. The group's lawyer, Julius Grey, says the present voting system does not meet the minimum requirements guaranteed by the Charter which stipulates that each citizen has a right to effective representation and has the right to participate meaningfully in the electoral process. To date, this court action represents the first citizen based challenge of the voting system's constitutionality at the provincial level. It adds to the previously filed case launched by the Green Party of Canada which contests the federal electoral system. ARDD's web site is at: http://www.ardd.avantech.net/tiki-index.php.



[ This Message was edited by: admin on 2004-07-20 16:05 ]