Why all the cool kids want a new electoral system

[Oscar]

Why all the cool kids want a new electoral system (Multiple LINKS on Original article)

[ http://theindependent.ca/2016/12/07/why ... al-system/ ]

By: Robin Whitaker | December 7, 2016

Electoral reform might not sound very sexy. But it matters. A lot. Don’t let the footdragging wear you down.

Robin Whitaker - Gadfly asks pesky political and social questions, on the principle that you can't make an omelette without breaking a few eggs.

Individuals and citizens' groups have been pushing for electoral reform for years. Photo by ahblair / Flickr.

Electoral reform is in the news — sort of — with the Dec. 1 report of an all-party House of Commons committee mandated to review Canada’s electoral system and subsequent launch of the government’s latest “consultation” exercise.

Much of the media commentary centres on the Liberals’ evident desire to ditch their 2015 election pledge to “make every vote count.” Back then, Justin Trudeau proclaimed, “2015 will be the last federal election conducted under the first-past-the-post (FPTP) voting system.”

Every Canadian parliament ever has been elected under FPTP, so that was a bold promise. Equally bold, the Commons committee made a clear recommendation: hold a referendum asking Canadians to choose between the current system and a form of Proportional Representation (PR).

In the face of this cross-party agreement, the committee’s Liberals issued a supplementary report saying that 2019 is too soon to introduce something as “radical” as a new electoral system.

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[ http://theindependent.ca/2016/12/07/why ... al-system/ ]