For immediate release

April 4, 2011

"In an election that was called because the government was defeated on a motion of confidence after being found in contempt of Parliament, surely democracy is the issue," says Bronwen Bruch, President of Fair Vote Canada, "but that's not what we see here. Democracy is an afterthought in this platform."

The Liberal platform, released yesterday, calls for respecting and renewing our democracy, open government, returning substance and civility to Parliament, and modernizing the voting system.

"These are all noble goals," says Bruch, "but the single concrete reform that would help to achieve these goals—proportional representation—is nowhere to be seen in this platform. If we want politics to be different, we need a vote that makes a difference."

Fair Vote Canada is a national citizens' movement for electoral reform. Their focus is changing the voting system to one that would more accurately translate the votes we cast into representation in Parliament.

"Canadians are fed up with hyper-partisan, winner-take-all politics," adds Wayne Smith, FVC Executive Director, "and tinkering with question period just won't deal with the underlying systemic problems in our democratic institutions. The Liberals have missed a real opportunity here to take charge of the election campaign and frame the debate. Democracy is the question. A fair voting system is the answer."

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Contact:

Wayne Smith
Executive Director
Wayne.Smith@FairVote.Ca
416-407-7009