Introducing the Every Voter Counts Alliance

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Introducing the Every Voter Counts Alliance

[ http://www.everyvotercounts.ca/ ]

February 25, 2016

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Add your name in support of the Alliance today:
[ http://www.everyvotercounts.ca/get-involved/ ]

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Organizations launch Every Voter Counts Alliance and kick-off campaign for proportional representation

Diverse groups representing millions of Canadians give big boost to a fair voting system

The Every Voter Counts Alliance launched Thursday — showcasing wide, multi-partisan support for proportional representation as the only way to fix what’s wrong with Canada’s broken voting system.

The Alliance brings together organizations and individuals in support of a fair voting system in which every vote counts, independent of party interests. Supporting organizations include ACORN-Canada, Broadbent Institute, Canadian Federation of Students, Canadian Labour Congress, Council of Canadians, Democracy Watch, Équiterre, Fair Vote Canada, Groupe Femmes Politique et Démocratie, Mouvement Démocratie Nouvelle, Idle No More, Institut du Nouveau Monde, Leadnow, Mouvement démocratie nouvelle, Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants, Unlock Democracy, and YWCA Canada.

Guy Giorno, former Chief of Staff to Stephen Harper, Alex Himelfarb, former Clerk of the Privy Council, and Col. (Retired) Pat Stogran, former Veteran’s Ombudsman, have already signed on in support of the Alliance, which is encouraging groups and people to add their name as supporters at http://www.everyvotercounts.ca .

“We come from different parts of the country doing different work, but we all agree on this simple idea — Canada needs a fair voting system that provides all citizens a real opportunity to elect a candidate according to their values and reflects the choices of voters without producing skewed results with false majorities and exaggerated regional divisions. Only proportional representation can achieve this,” said Willy Blomme, spokesperson for the Alliance.

Added Himelfarb: “By more truly reflecting the diverse views and interests of Canadians proportional representation would strengthen our democracy and enhance the political process. It would also encourage greater parliamentary cooperation which would in turn yield more durable public policies”

“YWCA Canada celebrates gender parity in cabinet, but three out of four MPs are still men. We’ve been advocating for women since before the first group of women won the right to vote in federal elections. We know the journey to women’s equality isn’t finished. Proportional representation can help elect more women. It’s one more step on the long road to women’s equality,” said Paulette Senior, CEO of YWCA Canada.

The Liberal government has promised to reform Canada’s voting system so the 2015 election is the last one to use the current first-past-the-post system, a majoritarian winner-take-all system in place since before Confederation. It has cited proportional representation and ranked or preferential ballots as options to consider.

A system of proportional representation is based on the straightforward principle that the seats a party has in a legislature should reflect the percentage of votes cast for that party and that all citizens deserve representation. There is a family of voting systems based on this principle. Countries can design or alter a system of proportional representation to meet their unique needs, such as ensuring that voters can elect a local representative in their home riding.

Over 90 countries use a proportional voting system, including 85 per cent of OECD countries, such as Germany, New Zealand, Sweden and Denmark. Among the Top 10 countries in The Economist’s Intelligence Unit rankings, eight have built proportionality into the voting systems used in their main legislative chambers.

“Electoral systems must be judged by how well they mirror voter choice. Proportional representation starts and ends with a focus on the voters and its purpose is to ensure that everyone’s values and views have full and fair representation in Parliament,” said Giorno.

Add your name in support of the Alliance today:
[ http://www.everyvotercounts.ca/get-involved/ ]

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Mercer Rants on PR's Change from Fantasy to Possibility ( . . . Watch video)

[ http://fairvotesask.blogspot.ca/2016/03 ... ntasy.html ]

Saturday, March 5, 2016

"If it's never going to happen in my lifetime, why should I even think about it?" "I" being Rick Mercer and "it" being proportional representation (PR). In his Rant, he explains that PR was for him a leftist fantasy that would change our electoral system "so the number of seats a political party has in the House of Commons reflects the percentage of the vote the party received."

(VIDEO)

That was, it was a fantasy until a giant from the right, Stephen Harper's former Chief of Staff, Guy Giorno, joined the Every Voter Counts Alliance. [ http://www.everyvotercounts.ca/ ]

Mercer says for him it was the equivalent of "Darth Vader sitting down with the Ewoks to fight climate change." Mercer concludes the Alliance is "Smart people, political rivals, coming together with one goal—to improve our democracy."

How would PR improve our democracy? Research shows that PR countries have significantly fewer wasted votes, higher voter turnout, better economies and environmental outcomes, more diversity in their elected representatives, and lower income inequality.

Above all, Fair Vote Canada's Kelly Carmichael says, "Proportional representation is not about parties. It's about giving every voter an equal say, and creating a Parliament that represents us."

The Trudeau government has promised to convene an all-party Parliamentary committee within 18 months of forming the government.

Let's hold them to that promise and let your MP know that a whole bunch of smart people say that PR is the best system to make every one of our votes count. [ http://www.lop.parl.gc.ca/ParlInfo/comp ... lcode.aspx ]


Nancy Carswell
Fair Vote Canada Saskatchewan Co-spokesperson