January 2006 / janvier 2006
For the latest news on voting system reform, visit http://www.fairvote.ca.
Pour les dernières informations sur la réforme du système électoral, visitez le site Internet http://www.fairvote.ca.
In this issue:
FVC campaign - still time to help (January 9)
FVC releases Dubious Democracy Report (January 9)
Growing media coverage of proportional representation (January 9)
Layton, Harper and Harris talking electoral reform (January 7)
Another chance for PR in PEI? (December 24)
FVC and prominent Canadians call for electoral reform debate (December 19)
FVC CAMPAIGN - STILL TIME TO HELP (January 9, 2006)
Fair Vote Canada supporters from St. John's to Victoria to Yellowknife are now in the midst of the most extensive nationwide grassroots campaign for proportional representation (PR) ever organized.
FVC volunteers are attending all-candidate meetings, leafleting their communities, collecting petition signatures, calling phone-in shows and writing letters to local papers. If you can still contribute just 20 minutes, an hour, an evening or a weekend before the election, you can still help in the follow ways:
Download, photocopy and distribute our campaign flyers, available at http://www.fairvotecanada.org/fvc/network.
Write a letter to the editor calling for electoral reform and PR.
Email your friends about our online petition at http://www.fairvote.ca.
Email your friends about our two-minute web video "Electoral Dysfunction: There Is a Cure", featuring the Air Farce's Don Ferguson, also at http://www.fairvote.ca.
Attend a candidates meeting and ask a question about electoral reform and PR.
Read and subscribe to our election blog at http://fairvotecanada.blogspot.com/, link to your own blog, tell your friends, and spread the word.
If you have any questions about how to help in the final weeks, contact us: info@fairvotecanada.org.
FVC REPORT DOCUMENTS DECADES OF VOTING SYSTEM DYSFUNCTION (January 9, 2006)
Fair Vote Canada today released "Dubious Democracy: Report on Federal Elections in Canada from 1980 - 2004". The 14-page report provides a very concise overview of how the first-past-the-post voting system subverts democratic values, drives wedges between the regions, unfairly rewards and punishes various political viewpoints, and makes a mockery of representative democracy and government accountability.
"The data illustrate just how badly the voting system has warped our political arena," said Wayne Smith, President, Fair Vote Canada. "Given the way the system treats voters, it's not surprising 40 per cent of registered voters don't vote. It's surprising 60 per cent still do."
The report is available at: http://fairvotecanada.org/updir/DubiousDemocracyReport-January2006.pdf
GROWING MEDIA COVERAGE OF PROPORTIONAL REPRESENTATION (January 9, 2006)
Media, political and public attention to PR has grown significantly since the last election campaign. The past several weeks, in particular, have been amazing.
December 21 - Roy MacGregor devoted his entire page two Globe column to our Electoral Dysfunction video and campaign.
December 23 - Roy MacGregor ran another column featuring Tom Kent, one of our National Advisory Board members, again focusing on electoral reform.
December 30 - Globe columnist John Ibbitson called for PR as a means of uniting and stabilizing the country.
January 1 - The issue of electoral reform came up on CTV's Question Period.
January 7 - CBC Radio's The House devoted extensive attention to electoral reform and PR.
January 9 - The Ottawa Citizen ran a major multi-page feature article by Doug Fischer on the case for proportional representation.
In addition to this national media coverage, many local reporters, columnists and editorial writers have also turned their attention to electoral reform.
LAYTON, HARPER AND HARRIS TALKING ELECTORAL REFORM (January 7, 2006)
Electoral reform is increasingly being identified as a core issue for negotiations among parties for a minority government.
At the end of December, NDP leader Jack Layton said "proportional representation will be a big part of any discussion" regarding support for a minority government. The NDP is calling for implementation of a mixed member proportional (MMP) voting system.
On January 4, Green Party leader Jim Harris announced that the Green Party will push for a national citizens' assembly "to determine the form of proportional representation that best serves Canadians."
On January 7, Conservative Party leader Stephen Harper told reporters he would be willing to discuss electoral reform with the NDP, noting that "this is something our convention in March expressed some interest in, although we haven't adopted any particular specific model."
While Paul Martin continues to avoid the issue, Liberal Senator Sharon Carstairs told the Winnipeg Free Press it is time to be "exploring some form of proportional representation".
ANOTHER CHANCE FOR ELECTORAL REFORM IN P.E.I? (December 24, 2005)
In a year-end interview with a Charlottetown newspaper, P.E.I. Premier Pat Binns indicated an electoral reform process may continue after the next provincial election.
"I don't think it's over", Mr. Binns said.
The Premier noted that Islanders need time to reflect on the results of the November 28 plebiscite and reconsider the most appropriate voting system for P.E.I..
Turnout for the plebiscite was very low and the proposed MMP voting system received only 36 per cent support. The Premier said if he receives another mandate, there would likely be another plebiscite.
FVC AND PROMINENT CANADIANS CALL FOR ELECTORAL REFORM FOCUS IN REMAINING DEBATES (December 19, 2005)
More than 60 prominent Canadians from a variety of backgrounds and political viewpoints joined Fair Vote Canada in an urgent call to the network consortium and party leaders to focus a portion of one of the remaining debates on voting reform. The following statement was sent to the broadcast consortium and included the related FVC press release.
We the undersigned believe the next Parliament and Government must make Canada's democratic renewal an urgent priority. We can no longer afford to ignore our democracy deficit or postpone substantive reform to our core democratic institutions, including voting system reform.
Therefore, we call on the broadcast networks and party leaders to dedicate a portion of one of the leaders' debates to focus exclusively on the "Democratic Renewal of Canada".
Roger Abbott, Royal Canadian Air Farce
Lincoln Alexander, former Ontario Lieutenant Governor, former federal cabinet minister
Rick Anderson, consultant, columnist, former advisor to Preston Manning
Nkem Anizor, Black Youth Taking Action
Harry Baglole, founding Director, Institute of Island Studies
Patricia Baird, former Chair, Royal Commission on New Reproductive Technologies
Maude Barlow, author, activist and Chairperson, Council of Canadians
John Beckwith, composer, conductor and educator
Avie Bennett, Chair, McClelland & Stewart
Ed Broadbent, former NDP leader
Larry Brown, National Sec. Treas., National Union of Public and General Employees
Meyer Brownstone, professor emeritus, international election monitor and advisor
June Callwood, author, former chair of Writers' Union of Canada and P.E.N.
Barbara Caplan, former activist, political organizer and City of Toronto senior manager
John Cartwright, President, Toronto & York Region Labour Council
Michael Cassidy, former NDP MP, former leader of the Ontario NDP
James Clancy, National President, National Union of Public and General Employees
Paul Copeland, criminal lawyer, active with Law Union of Ontario
Bonnie Diamond, Executive Director, National Association of Women and the Law
Howard Dyck, conductor & artistic director, CBC radio host
Margrit Eichler, professor, sociology and women's studies
Dave Farthing, co-founder and Executive Director, YOUCAN
Don Ferguson, Royal Canadian Air Farce
Max Ferguson, former broadcaster and satirist on the CBC
Ursula Franklin, Professor Emerita, physicist, author, activist
Margaret Fulton, educator, former President of Mount St. Vincent University
Graeme Gibson, author
Gordon Gibson, former leader B.C. Liberal Party, Fraser Institute Senior Fellow
Katherine Govier, author
Luba Goy, Royal Canadian Air Farce
Elizabeth Gray, writer
Margaret Hancock, Hart House Warden, University of Toronto
Marjorie Harris, Editor at large, Gardening Life
Mel Hurtig, author, publisher, activist
Richard Johnston, former President, Centennial College, former Ontario MPP
G. Alex Jupp, retired public affairs consultant
Tom Kent, former advisor to Prime Minister Pearson, former royal commission chair
Bruce Kidd, University of Toronto professor and former Olympic athlete
David Langille, Executive Director, Centre for Social Justice
Troy Lanigan, National Communications Director, Canadian Taxpayers Federation
Frances Lankin, Pres. & CEO United Way of Greater Toronto, former Ont. Cabinet Minister
Jeannie Lea, former Prince Edward Island cabinet minister
Betty Lee, author, journalist, editor
Nick Loenen, founder, Fair Voting B.C.
Raif Mair, radio host, writer, political commentator, Hall of Fame broadcaster
Henry Milner, professor, author, electoral reform expert
J. Fraser Mustard, founding President, The Canadian Institute for Advanced Research
Nancy Ruth, Senator, feminist and social activist
John Oostrom, former PC MP 1984-88
Sylvia Ostry, economist, Univ. of Toronto, former Chair, Economic Council of Canada
Bernard Ostry, former chairman and CEO of TVOntario; former deputy minister
Erna Paris, author
Walter Pitman, former president of Ryerson Polytechnic Institute
Judy Rebick, Sam Gindin Chair in Social Justice and Democracy, Ryerson University
Alan Redway, former Progressive Conservative MP, cabinet minister
Walter Robinson, former Federal Director, Canadian Taxpayers Federation
Virginia Rock, Professor Emerita, D. Litt., York University, American, Women's Studies
Norman Ruff, political scientist and media commentator
Peter Russell, former President, Canadian Political Science Association
Linda Silver Dranoff, family law lawyer, writer, law reform activist
Hugh Thorburn, former President, Canadian Political Science Association
John Trent, former Secretary, International Political Science Association
Lois Wilson, former Senator and former chair, World Council of
[ This Message was edited by: admin on 2006-01-11 15:27 ]