National poll shows 68% support for proportional representation
Which Liberal leadership candidates will listen to Canadians and do something useful?
A national poll of Canadians asking about support for proportional representation was conducted by EKOS Research Associates between January 22-29, 2025.
68% of Canadians support moving to proportional representation, with only 19% opposed and 13% unsure. Support was high among those planning to vote Liberal (72%), NDP (83%), and Green (87%).
When asked if they would like the future Prime Minister to support proportional representation, 62% said yes, 16% no, and 22% were unsure.
During Justin Trudeau’s resignation speech, he stated that his biggest regret was not having achieved electoral reform. Trudeau knows it matters to Canadians.
Ironically, despite evidence and expert opinion, Trudeau’s own obstinate refusal to consider any element of proportional representation was the major reason for the broken promise.
It’s clear that a strong majority of Canadians continue to support proportional representation―and they are looking for leadership.
The Liberal leadership race provides a fresh opportunity for Liberal Party members and Canadians who want to see our parties work together on electoral reform in the next Parliament.
Of course, the economy, pocketbook issues such as housing, and how to deal with Donald Trump will dominate the leadership race as priorities—and rightly so.
However, a strong, fair, and resilient democracy would enable real progress on those priorities. Countries with proportional representation are less polarized and have achieved better policy results on all fronts, including on the economy.
A new Prime Minister who is genuinely open to proportional representation would signal a clear break from the paralysis of the past ten years.
A logical and thoughtful path to find a compromise with other parties on electoral reform would be appreciated by Canadians.
To inspire Canadians that change is really possible, serious candidates running for job of the next Prime Minister should do three things:
1) Say they favour making our electoral system more proportional.
2) Commit to a non-partisan National Citizens’ Assembly on Electoral Reform to seek informed citizen input on how proportional representation could best work in Canada. This would show respect for the motion that Liberal members voted into the Liberal Party policy book at their last policy convention.
3) Include those ideas in the next election platform.
Without overpromising, these ideas would deliver a credible and believable way to re-open the conversation.
Canadians understand that important things worth doing for the country take time, hard work and compromise. Multi-party consensus is the key to making progress on electoral reform. Compromise among parties was how other countries did it, including the strongest democracies in the world.
A leader sincerely committed to building the strong, resilient and inclusive electoral system we need would be a good place to start.
