For immediate release
October 4, 2011

In most developed countries, a party that received 40% of the votes in an election but won only four seats out of 27 would be howling with outrage, and so would the people who voted for them. However, this sort of thing passes for normal in Canada.

The most recent example of first-past-the-post run amok comes from Prince Edward Island, where PEI Conservatives are proud and delighted to have achieved this result in the October 3rd election, because recent polls indicated they might lose every seat.

“Our electoral system consistently distorts voters’ intentions, and sadly, we accept it as normal,” says Fair Vote Canada president Shoni Field.

The lack of a strong Opposition is a continual problem in PEI, and led in 2003 to the establishment of an independent Electoral Reform Commission under the leadership of the Hon. Norman H. Carruthers. The Commission studied the history of electoral reform in PEI, did an extensive review of electoral systems in use around the world, and undertook extensive consultation with Islanders. They held a series of public meetings and received numerous oral and written submissions.

The Commission made a number of recommendations, including that PEI switch to “a Mixed Member Proportional System along the lines of the New Zealand model.” A referendum was subsequently held to allow Islanders to decide whether to adopt the proposed model, but entrenched political interests made sure the referendum failed.

“The problem hasn’t gone away,” says Field, “and it won’t go away until Prince Edward Island has a modern, fair, proportional voting system. Islanders would be well served to revisit the findings of the Carruthers Commission.”

“The purpose of the Legislature is to hold Government accountable,” adds Fair Vote Canada Executive Director Wayne Smith. “There can be no accountability when the election results do not accurately reflect the way people voted.”

Fair Vote Canada is a national citizens’ movement for electoral reform.

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Contact:

Shoni Field
President
Shoni.Field@FairVote.Ca
604-720-0541

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

http://FairVote.Ca
http://www.electionspei.ca/electoralreform/