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Waterloo Region:

Vote for candidates who will champion proportional representation

We encourage voters to support a candidate whose party platform and personal track record suggests they will work hard in Parliament to move Canada to proportional representation as one of their top priorities.

In Waterloo Region, we would like to highlight two candidates:

Kitchener Centre Green candidate Mike Morrice
Waterloo NDP candidate Jonathan Cassels

Politicians are in a conflict of interest when it comes to electoral reform―– they can’t see past their own personal or partisan self-interest. Fair Vote Canada is advocating for an independent National Citizens’ Assembly on Electoral Reform to break the logjam.

A National Citizens’ Assembly on Electoral Reform was backed by 80% of Canadians including supporters of all parties in a Leger poll in September 2020.

A National Citizens’ Assembly on Electoral Reform would look at ALL options and make a thoughtful, informed recommendation about what is best for voters. This would be a recommendation that voters of all parties can trust. In June, 2021, the Procedure and House Affairs Committee voted to study a National Citizens’ Assembly on Electoral Reform. Unfortunately, the government called an early election, and the next Parliament is not bound by that vote. 

See the full party platforms on electoral reform below the candidates listings. 

Waterloo Region electoral reform champions

Important note: Kitchener Centre Liberal candidate Raj Saini has withdrawn from the race

Riding: Kitchener Centre

Candidate: Mike Morrice

Mike Morrice had proportional representation in his platform during the 2019 election. This election, he put it on website under his priority issues months ago. He also reached out to local electoral reform advocates to ask if they would like to write a guest blog for his site, which was written by Sharon Sommerville and Byron Weber Becker:

mikemorrice.ca/priorities
mikemorrice.ca/blog/optimism-for-electoral-reform

See below the candidates for the Green Party’s platform commitment to proportional representation.

Riding: Waterloo

Candidate: Jonathan Cassels

Jonathan Cassels sponsored a record breaking national petition for electoral reform in 2017 when Trudeau broke his promise. He is currently on leave from the board of Fair Vote Canada

See below the candidates for the NDP’s platform commitment to proportional representation below.

Party Platforms on Electoral Reform

NDP logo

NDP PLATFORM:

“A New Democrat government will bring in mixed-member proportional representation that works for Canada – and we will do it in our first mandate in government. We’ll establish an
independent citizen’s assembly to recommend the best way to put it in place for the next election to ensure both local representation and a federal government that reflects the
voters’ choice of parties.

Once Canadians have the opportunity to experience the new voting system and compare it to the old one, we will hold a referendum to confirm the choice.”

* ADDITIONAL NOTE FROM FAIR VOTE CANADA:

In June 2021, NDP MP Daniel Blaikie put forward a successful motion at the Procedures & House Affairs Committee to study a National Citizens’ Assembly on Electoral Reform. Although it passed, parties will not be bound by this vote in the next Parliament.

FAIR VOTE CANADA’S COMMENT ON THE NDP PLATFORM: 

Fair Vote Canada is pleased that the NDP still supports a Citizens’ Assembly and commends them for their crucial and long-standing support, and advocacy of proportional representation. 

The purpose of a National Citizens’ Assembly on Electoral Reform is to empower citizens to look at the evidence for all options.

When parties do not agree on electoral systems, an open-minded Citizens’ Assembly that truly lets citizens lead is critical to building a process that everyone can trust – no matter what party they support.

Conversely, a Citizens’ Assembly where the citizens are restricted to considering only one electoral system is not sufficient to achieve this.

In addition, research on referendums and the expert advice given to the federal electoral reform committee in 2016 raise grave concerns about whether referendums produce an informed decision on electoral reform. FVC prefers a more deliberative, independent, citizen-led review of any new system after it has been in use for a few elections.

Green Party logo

Green Party Platform:

Better elections

A Green government will:

● Always support modernising our electoral system, to be based on Proportional Representation. The evidence of the benefits for citizens, and for parliamentary outcomes, are overwhelmingly clear.

A Citizens’ Assembly on Democratic Renewal

Greens will push for a Citizens’ Assembly on Democratic Renewal to be convened as early as possible under the new Parliament. Recognizing the conflict of interest in having politicians re-design the system that elected them, the Assembly would be a diverse and randomly selected body of citizens, brought together with a mandate to consider and to provide a set of recommendations to our Parliament on four interrelated issues:

● Modernizing Canada’s electoral system
● Lowering the Voting Age to 16
● Online Voting
● Mandatory Voting

The process would be supported by a public service secretariat, and facilitated by an independent and non-partisan organization, who would bring in expert witnesses, as well as individuals and groups directly affected by the issue. Properly constituted Citizens’ Assemblies, such as Ireland’s Assembly of 2016-18, are viewed as equitable, free from political interference, and acting in the public interest. Their composition can be more reflective of Canada’s diversity than Parliament; their procedures can be more deliberative and consensus-driven; and they can make
recommendations on sensitive foundational questions that elected officials avoid. Acting in this way, Citizens’ Assemblies can help renew the trust and confidence of Canadians.

ADDITIONAL NOTE FROM FAIR VOTE CANADA: 

* In June 2021, the Procedures & House Affairs Committee passed a motion to study a National Citizens’ Assembly on Electoral Reform. Although it passed, parties will not be bound by this vote in the next Parliament. The Greens support this, but could not vote for it because they didn’t have a seat on this committee.

COMMENT FROM FAIR VOTE CANADA ON THE GREEN PLATFORM: The Green Party platform also includes a commitment to truth in advertising, which Fair Vote Canada also supports

Liberal Party Platform:

There is nothing in the Liberal platform about electoral reform or continuing the important work started on a National Citizens’ Assembly on Electoral Reform at the Procedures and House Affairs committee in June 2021 (see note below).

This is a deeply disappointing omission by the Liberal Party. In fact, some of the Liberal candidates are still sending constituents the form letter from 2017 claiming there was “no consensus” (not true for citizens and experts – see here). A National Citizens’ Assembly on Electoral Reform is a way to take electoral reform out of the hands of the parties with a vested interest (who do have trouble finding a consensus for the past 100 years) and put it in the hands of informed citizens. Please contact your Liberal candidate and encourage them to commit to continue the work towards a National Citizens’ Assembly on Electoral Reform.

NOTE: Liberal MP Nathaniel Erskine-Smith has been a long time advocate of proportional representation. Read more about Nate on the front page of Fair Vote Canada’s website.

NOTE: In June 2021, the Liberals helped pass a motion at the Procedures & House Affairs Committee to study a National Citizens’ Assembly on Electoral Reform. However, parties will not be bound by this vote in the next Parliament.

NDP logo

Bloc Platform: 

There is nothing in the Bloc platform about electoral reform. 

*In June 2021, the Bloc helped pass a motion at the Procedures & House Affairs Committee to study a National Citizens’ Assembly on Electoral Reform. However, parties will not be bound by this vote in the next Parliament.. 

Green Party logo

Conservative Party Platform:

There is nothing about electoral reform in the Conservative Party platform.

* In June 2021, the Conservatives voted against a motion at the Procedures & House Affairs Committee to study a National Citizens’ Assembly on Electoral Reform. The reason they gave for voting no was that the motion included a Liberal amendment to write a second report (after the report on a National Citizens’ Assembly on Electoral Reform) looking at what could be learned about citizens’ assemblies in general.

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