Ontario Liberals Embrace Voting Reform in Stark Contrast to their Federal Counterparts
October 03, 2003
ONTARIO LIBERALS EMBRACES VOTING REFORM IN STARK CONTRAST TO THEIR FEDERAL COUNTERPARTS
Just two days after federal Liberal MPs soundly defeated a motion for a national referendum on proportional representation, an Ontario Liberal government committed to a provincial referendum has taken power at Queen's Park.
The Ontario Liberal platform commitment is as follows: "You will decide how elections work. The time has come for a full, open public debate on voting reform.. After consulting with the public, we will hold a referendum on whether we should keep our winner-take-all voting system or replace it with another. Alternatives to our voting system could include some form of proportional representation, preferential ballots or mixed systems."
"The Ontario Liberal Party commitment stands in stark contrast to the federal Liberal Party," said Doris Anderson, president of Fair Vote Canada. On September 30, the NDP, Alliance and Bloc MPs, plus two Liberal MPs, voted in favour of an NDP motion calling for a national referendum on proportional representation. Liberal MPs vehemently argued against a national referendum or any consideration of proportional voting systems. The motion was defeated 145-76.
Election Results Produce Classic Distortions
With the first-past-the-post system, voters say one thing and the system delivers something different. Yesterday's results in Ontario were a classic example.
Compared to the last election, the Liberals enjoyed a modest increase in the popular vote (from 40% up to 46%), but the voting system awarded them a whopping increase in seats (from 34% to 70%). In a proportional system, the Liberals would have had about 48 seats and a minority government, rather than a 72-seat majority government.
The Tories suffered a drop in the popular vote (from 45% down to 35%), but the system punished them by taking away more than half their seats (from 57% to down to 23%). In a proportional system, the Tories would have had about 35 seats rather than 24.
The NDP actually increased their popular vote (from 12 % to 14%) but saw their seats decrease (from 9 to 7), jeopardizing their official party status. In a proportional system, the NDP would have had about 14 seats.
The Green Party attracted about 3% of the vote. Under a proportional system, the Greens would have gained about 3 seats.
[ This Message was edited by: Doug Bailie on 2003-10-03 19:01 ]