Election 2025: Where the parties stand on proportional representation

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Join the campaign for proportional representation

No party with 39% of the vote should get 100% of the power. No matter who you vote for, or where you live in Canada, your vote should count. It’s time for proportional representation.

Party election platforms on electoral reform

NDP PLATFORM:

Putting an end to unfair elections

GREEN PARTY:

The plan on the front of the Green Party website states:

Strong Democracy

Making Sure Your Vote Counts

Too many Canadians feel their votes don’t matter. They don’t trust the government to listen. Big corporations have too much power. False information spreads too easily. Our voting system is outdated. The Green Party will fix these problems. We’ll make sure every Canadian voter has a real voice in our democracy.

A Voting System That Works

Our current voting system isn’t fair. A party can win total power with less than half the votes. Millions of votes don’t count. Here’s how we’ll make it fairer:

Change to a proportional representation voting system where every vote counts
Let young people start voting at age 16
Restore the per-vote subsidy so small parties can compete fairly with big parties
Create a Citizens’ Assembly to help guide these changes

Fair Vote Canada’s comment on the Green Party’s platform: This platform represents a strong commitment to proportional representation with a role for a non-partisan Citizens’ Assembly to make recommendations. Fair Vote Canada strongly supports this plan.

LIBERAL PARTY:

There is nothing in the Liberal platform about proportional representation and electoral reform.

Fair Vote Canada’s comment on the Liberal platform: This is deeply disappointing, considering that the Liberal Party is under new leadership.

At a campaign event in Sault Ste. Marie, Carney explained that electoral reform was not in the Liberal platform because they are focused on addressing the economic crisis, but suggested that he is open to electoral reform after the economic crisis has abated.

Mark Carney stated:

“I will give you my personal view on it, which is that a Prime Minister should be neutral on these issues, so that a process, if a process is developed, that they are objective and not being seen to tip the scales in one direction or another.

And I think that, if I may, looking back on what happened previously, that probably part of what stalled progress on it.

So, there may be a point where we’ve advanced on other immediate pressing priorities, particularly the crisis – that’s our intention – that those more structural issues in our democracy can be addressed.”

The overwhelming majority of Canadians support proportional representation and believe the Liberals were wrong to break their promise.

Proportional representation happens around the world when parties are willing to compromise and work together to make it happen. A non-partisan citizens’ assembly on electoral reform, an idea which was backed by Liberal Party members at their 2023 convention, is a way to offer feedback to Parliament on the best system to make every vote count.

The Liberal Party’s 2025 platform states they will:

“Build a Canada where everyone has a fair shot, feels a sense of belonging, and contributes to our shared future by reshaping systems to better reflect and support all Canadians and make sure that no matter your heritage or identity you can fully participate in Canada.”

The way to do this is with proportional representation, so that no matter where you live, your vote will count and will contribute to our shared future.

BLOC:

There is nothing in the Bloc platform about proportional representation.

The Bloc voted yes to Motion M-86 for a National Citizens’ Assembly on Electoral Reform.

CONSERVATIVE:

There is nothing in the Conservative platform about proportional representation.

NOTE ON THE PEOPLE’S PARTY OF CANADA AND OTHER SMALL PARTIES: There are usually 10-20 parties in Canada running who do not have seats in the House of Commons. Fair Vote Canada does not have the resources to list the positions of all of these parties and has therefore only featured parties with at least one seat.

Individual Candidates of Note

Fair Vote Canada would like to recognize the following individuals who have made extra efforts to support proportional representation or have in some way publicly distinguished themselves from their party on the topic of electoral reform over the last several years.

Mike Morrice, Green Party MP for Kitchener Centre

Mike Morrice was first elected in 2019 to represent Kitchener Centre. Since being elected, he has been relentlessly promoted proportional representation and worked alongside Fair Vote Canada to amplify PR and support our grassroots efforts.

Mike has been featured in the Waterloo Region Record and 570 News on several occasions in articles focused on promoting proportional representation, he has talked about it in his mailouts to constituents (example), he has asked questions about it in Question Period, and he brings it up on social media as a priority. Mike has reached out to colleagues in Parliament to work across party lines on electoral reform.

In February, 2023, Mike put forward a private members motion for a National Citizens’ Assembly on Electoral Reform (Motion M-76). A motion can have a maximum of 20 joint seconders and the motion quickly achieved that, with MPs from four parties seconding it.

Unfortunately, Mike Morrice’s motion would not have come to a vote in the House of Commons because his name was too far down the list in the “order of precedence” for private members business. The order is established by a random lottery draw at the beginning of each Parliament.

When NDP MP Lisa Marie Barron put forward her private members motion for National Citizens’ Assembly on Electoral Reform, Motion M-86., Mike worked collaboratively with Lisa Marie to promote it, including co-sponsoring a reception for MPs to learn more about the motion.

Lisa Marie Barron, NDP MP for Nanaimo-Ladysmith, NDP Democratic Reform Critic

Lisa Marie Barron was elected MP for Nanaimo-Ladysmith in 2021 and has been the NDP’s Democratic Reform Critic since 2024.

In June, 2023, building on the momentum and cross-partisan support for Motion M-76 for a National Citizens’ Assembly on Electoral Reform (see section above on MP Mike Morrice), Lisa Marie put forward a new motion for a National Citizens’ Assembly on Electoral Reform, Motion M-86. It also got 20 seconders, with MPs from four parties seconding it. This motion came to a vote in House of Commons, and Fair Vote Canada greatly appreciates Lisa Marie for using a rare opportunity for a private member’s motion that would be debated and voted on in order to build support for electoral reform.

Lisa Marie led an effort with Green Party MP Mike Morrice and Liberal MP Julie Dzerowicz to organize a reception for Motion M-86.

She held online town halls and in-person town halls in her riding about the motion. She has spoken in the media and the House of Commons on electoral reform, including but not limited to these examples;

Media:

Electoral reform returns to centre stage with private members motion (iPolitics 2024)
Nanaimo-Ladysmith MP leading calls for electoral reform (Nanaimo News Now, 2024)
Lisa Marie Barron discusses her motion (CPAC 2024)

In Parliament:

MP Barron’s final speech on Motion M-86 (2024)
Liberal and Conservative track records on electoral reform (2024)
Speaking on electoral reform (2024)
Speaking on electoral reform (2022)

Lisa Marie sponsored a motion at the federal NDP convention to put a Citizens’ Assembly in the Party platform (pictured below with Fair Vote Canada supporters outside the convention centre who were handing out flyers to delegates going in):

Lisa Marie attended a Fair Vote Canada town hall to encourage us in our campaign on Motion M-86:

Elizabeth May, Green Party MP Saanich—Gulf Islands, Co-Leader of the Green Party

Elizabeth May has been a tireless and continuous advocate for proportional representation and active supporter of Fair Vote Canada for over 20 years. She has spoken publicly about the need for proportional representation on countless occasions (example: Ted Talk here), led the Greens when they were an intervenor along with Fair Vote Canada in the first court case against first-past-the-post over a decade ago, and ensured proportional representation was a priority issue for the Greens in every election where she was the party leader.

Elizabeth represented the Green Party on the federal electoral reform (ERRE) committee in 2016. When the Liberals broke their promise, she stated:

“I feel more deeply betrayed by my government today than on any other day in my adult life. When I was asked to serve on the committee, I asked many people in senior Liberal offices — don’t waste my time, tell me now if you’re not serious. Thousands and thousands of Canadians — hundreds of thousands, and certainly young people — believed this promise.”

Elizabeth has continued to advocate for proportional representation frequently, bringing it up whenever there is an opportunity. Here are a few examples from Parliament in just the last few years:

Question Period

Government must pass motion M-86 for a Citizens’ Assembly on Electoral Reform (2024)
Elizabeth condemns government for broken promise on electoral reform (2024)
PM must fulfill electoral reform commitment (2023)
Elizabeth urges Liberals to bring back promise to fix the voting system (2023)

Nathaniel Erskine-Smith, Liberal MP, Beaches - East York

Nathaniel Erskine-Smith has been a long time outspoken advocate of proportional representation. Prior to being elected as MP, he was a Fair Vote Canada member and volunteer, which he referred to during his first speech in the House of Commons. He continues to support Fair Vote Canada in its campaign for PR.

When Trudeau broke his electoral reform promise, Nathaniel was the only Liberal MP to apologize to all Canadians in the media.

In May, 2017, after Trudeau broke his promise, the NDP introduced a motion to accept the report of the Electoral Reform Committee. Although acceptance of the report would not have forced the government to take action, it would have symbolized a willingness on the part of Liberal MPs to continue working on electoral reform. Nathaniel was only one of two Liberal MPs who joined with the opposition parties to vote yes.

When the Liberal government voted against Motion M-86 for a National Citizens’ Assembly on Electoral Reform, Nate wrote a piece about why this decision was wrong:

We killed electoral reform again and you didn’t even hear about it (2024)

Nate challenged Justin Trudeau on proportional representation during an interview on Nate’s podcast in 2024, prompting this piece by Fair Vote Canada, “Fact Checking Justin Trudeau on Electoral Reform.”

Nate’s position on electoral reform is clear on his MP website, where he states he will continue to be an advocate for electoral reform as long as he is in Ottawa:

https://beynate.ca/electoral-reform/

Wayne Long, Liberal MP, Saint John—Rothesay

Right after the 2019 election, Wayne Long spoke out in the media about the need for electoral reform.

In December 2020, Wayne spoke in favour of proportional representation during a facebook live town hall (22:22-23:37):

“I absolutely support electoral reform. I absolutely support some form of hybrid between proportional representation and maybe ranked ballot, which I originally was for, back in 2016. I was wrong, I screwed up (referring to ranked voting). Proportional representation is definitively the way to go in some way, shape or form. And I would support any movement that brought that forward federally or provincially. I am absolutely in support. I see why we need it and I understand that that’s why youth feel so disengaged with the political process. And that’s why we need electoral reform.”

Constituents visited MP Wayne Long about a National Citizens’ Assembly on Electoral Reform in 2019 and 2021 and found him to be supportive of both proportional representation and a citizens’ assembly. (Post by Wayne on facebook and twitter)

On September 13, 2021 Wayne Long posted a strong commitment to advocate for electoral reform on his facebook page:

Standing for Democratic Reform

“The people of Saint John–Rothesay are tired of old-style, party-first politics; that’s why I am proud to have been one of the most outspoken and effective advocates for the advancement of democratic reform in the last two Parliaments.

In 2019, I jointly seconded a motion to amend the Standing Orders of the House of Commons to tackle party discipline, and, just this spring, I was pleased to be able to work with NDP MP Daniel Blaikie to pass a motion to advance a National Citizens’ Assembly on Electoral Reform at committee.

Now, as a part of my 2021 Riding-First Platform, I am proud to commit to building upon this work in the last two Parliaments by:

Re-introducing a motion to advance a National Citizens’ Assembly on Electoral Reform at committee (this will ensure that the work on this issue continues in the next Parliament);

Introducing a Democratic Reform Act designed to rein in party discipline, empower individual Members of Parliament, and bring increased transparency and accountability to federal party caucuses and leadership structures; and

Establishing an All-Party Electoral Reform Caucus to advocate for the introduction of a form of proportional representation at the federal level.

Wayne also attended a Fair Vote Canada webinar in December 2021 to support our efforts:

Julie Dzerowicz, Liberal MP, Davenport

Liberal MP Julie Dzerowicz co-sponsored a reception in 2023 for Motion M-86 for a National Citizens’ Assembly on Electoral Reform, along with the motion’s sponsor, MP Lisa Marie Barron, and Green Party MP Mike Morrice.

She also attended a Fair Vote Canada webinar for our supporters to encourage our campaign efforts.

vote on a National Citizens' Assembly on Electoral Reform announcement by three MPs

Ben Lobb, Conservative MP, Huron-Bruce

In 2023, when MP Mike Morrice put forward Motion-76 for a National Citizens’ Assembly on Electoral Reform, Ben seconded the motion, the only Conservative MP to do so. This action had the effect of encouraging discussion of electoral reform and a Citizen’s Assembly within the Conservative Party caucus. Ben also voted for Motion M-86 for a National Citizens’ Assembly on Electoral Reform.

Mark Gerretsen, Liberal MP, Kingston, Deputy House Leader

While Mark Gerretsen has not been a supporter of proportional representation, he has been consistently supportive of a National Citizens’ Assembly on Electoral Reform at visits with constituents since 2021. When the resolution for a National Citizens’ Assembly on Electoral Reform came to the Liberal convention in 2023, he was the most public supporter of it, posting about it on X and Facebook, as well as voting yes to Motion M-86 when he was Deputy House Leader, despite the government being opposed to it.

Which MPs voted for Motion M-86 for a National Citizens’ Assembly on Electoral Reform?

In June, 2023, NDP MP Lisa Marie Barron (Nanaimo-Ladysmith) put forward a motion for a National Citizens’ Assembly on Electoral Reform, Motion M-86.

It got 20 seconders, with MPs from four parties seconding it.

Motion M-86 was defeated in a vote on February 7, 2024, with 101 MPs voting yes, and 220 voting no.

All MPs from the NDP, Bloc and Green Party that were present voted for Motion M-86.

All three Independent MPs (Han Dong, Alain Rayes, and Kevin Vuong) voted yes.

Although the Liberal government (Justin Trudeau and all Cabinet Ministers) opposed the motion, as did the Conservative Party, 39 Liberal backbench MPs and 3 Conservative MPs voted yes anyway.

The Liberal MPs and Conservative MPs who voted for it and are running again in this election are listed individually below.

Ben Lobb, Conservative MP

Vance Badawey, Liberal MP

Sean Casey, Liberal MP

Bardish Chagger, Liberal MP

Chad Collins, Liberal MP

Michael Coteau, Liberal MP

Julie Dabrusin, Liberal MP

Julie Dzerowicz, Liberal MP

Nathaniel Erskine-Smith, Liberal MP

Mona Fortier, Liberal MP

Mark Gerretsen, Liberal MP

Brendan Hanley, Liberal MP

Arielle Kayabaga, Liberal MP

Marie-France Lalonde, Liberal MP

Alex Ruff, Conservative MP

Wayne Long, Liberal MP

Tim Louis, Liberal MP

Alexandra Mendès, Liberal MP

Yasir Naqvi, Liberal MP

Marc Serré, Liberal MP

Leah Taylor Roy, Liberal MP

Ryan-Turnbull

Adam van Koeverden, Liberal MP

Anita Vandenbeld, Liberal MP

Patrick Weiler, Liberal MP

John Nater, Conservative MP

Darren Fisher, Liberal MP

Peter Fragiskatos, Liberal MP

Anna Gainey, Liberal MP

Majid Jowhari, Liberal MP

Joel Lightbound, Liberal MP

Ben Carr, Liberal MP

Salma Zahid, Liberal MP

Charles Sousa, Liberal MP

Liberal and Conservative MPs who supported a National Citizens’ Assembly on Electoral Reform in the past, but voted NO for Motion M-86

The Liberal MPs listed below did not vote for Motion M-86. They did express support for a National Citizens’ Assembly on Electoral Reform in the past by:

seconding MP Mike Morrice’s motion for Citizens’ Assembly on Electoral Reform (M-76) in 2023. M-76 was a private members motion that was not going to come to a vote in the House.
AND/OR
supporting a resolution for a National Citizens’ Assembly on Electoral Reform that was officially adopted as Liberal Party policy at the party’s May 2023 national convention

NOTE: MPs who supported a Citizens’ Assembly on Electoral Reform in the past may have voted no to Motion M-86 for various reasons. Some had become Ministers. The Liberal Government’s position was to oppose Motion M-86 and the Cabinet all voted no.

Terry Beech, Liberal Cabinet Minister, supported resolution at Liberal convention when he was not in Cabinet, but voted no to M-86. Terry Beech is a longtime supporter of proportional representation.

Jenna Sudds, Liberal Cabinet Minister, supported resolution at Liberal convention when she was not in Cabinet, but voted no to M-86

Authorized by Fair Vote Canada www.fairvote.ca (226) 784-7596

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