Fair Vote says omnibus budget a direct result of skewed voting system’s ‘war on accountability'

TORONTO - Fair Vote Canada has joined the BlackOut SpeakOut campaign to draw attention to the fact that our current, first-past-the-post electoral system makes it heartbreakingly easy for governments to ignore the will of the majority and basic democratic processes.

“This is not a partisan issue. We’ve seen successive governments run up the democratic deficit as they learn that it is virtually impossible for the majority of Canadians to hold them to account under our current electoral system,” says Fair Vote President Shoni Field. “Canadians need to ask themselves, ‘Where will this end?’”

“The majority of Canadians know that election results do not reflect how they voted, and agree that we need to adopt a more proportional voting system,” adds Fair Vote Canada Executive Director Wayne Smith. “Canadians are coming to understand that between elections, our winner-take-all system gives governments the power to circumvent the democratic process and make sweeping changes that have not been mandated by a majority of voters”.

Many of the shortcomings of our current politics, such as sweeping omnibus bills, lack of parliamentary scrutiny, proroguing Parliament to suit political convenience, and even the recent alleged electoral fraud—trace their roots to our antiquated, winner-take-all voting system.

“For conscientious Canadians, the solution is clear,” says Field. “We need to work together to ensure that 2015 is the last federal election ever run under this winner-take-all system. Adopting a more proportional system will bring greater accountability and transparency to government, and help make Canadian democracy something to be proud of once more.”