Despite the results in BC, electoral reform is alive and kicking

The results of the BC referendum shocked many of us at Fair Vote Canada, Edmonton chapter. “I will completely commence crawling into a hole,” said one member in an email on the day of the announcement. For us the numbers were particularly disappointing. Sixty-one per cent of the voters chose to remain with the status quo, first-past-the-post (FPTP). This from a province that voted 58 per cent in favour of proportional representation (PR) in 2005, only to be denied by the government of the day because the result hadn’t exceeded the threshold of 60 per cent. Never has any BC government won 60 percent of the vote (the conservatives came close in 1912 when they received 59.65 per cent).

Much has been written about why electoral reform lost the referendum, but for me this is what stands out. In 2005 the BC government conducted a citizens’ assembly that studied PR systems of voting, and after examining these systems closely, chose a variant of Single Transferable Vote (STV). Compare that to the 2019 referendum, where there was no citizens’ assembly. But in its place, there was relentless and dishonest fear mongering campaign from the “No” side, citing extreme possibilities with no root in reality.

Despite the disappointment in BC, the future for electoral reform in Canada looks bright.

In Prince Edward Island, voters will soon have a referendum on electoral reform, their third vote on the issue since 2005. This time they’ll be asked to choose between FPTP and mixed member proportional (MMP), the voting system that received the highest number of votes in their 2016 plebiscite. MMP gives voters two votes: one for their candidate of choice, the other for their party of choice. To prepare the public for the vote, expected this spring, the government is conducting at least 15 public engagement sessions.

In Quebec there is a very active push for electoral reform. In an unusual alliance, three of the four major parties, representing 76 per cent of the seats in the National Assembly, signed an agreement vowing they will change the provincial voting system from FPTP to MMP.

Coalition Avenir Quebec, the governing party, is not dragging its heels on the issue. Late February they announced they will table an electoral reform bill before October 1, 2019, and that the bill would not include a referendum.

“It’s not that we rule out the fact we have to consult, we rule out this way of consulting,” said Quebec Justice Minister Sonia LeBel. Instead, CAQ will adopt a more participatory approach. The plan is to create a nonpartisan group that will engage and educate the public on the MMP system of voting.

On the national stage, although Justin Trudeau promised (more than 1800 times by MP Nathan Cullen’s count) to make 2015 the last election under FPTP, he broke his word. Yet, if election 2019 delivers a minority government with the NDP and Greens holding the balance of power, don’t be surprised if it shows up again on the agenda.

Now what about Alberta? 

Sadly, at this writing, potentially just days from an election call, there’s not much happening on the electoral reform front. Of the major parties, only the Alberta Liberal Party mentions it. On their website they say they’re committed to change the way we vote but say nothing about the implementation of it. As for the NDP, the rumour is that electoral reform won’t be part of their election platform, but as it is long-standing party policy, there is a possibility of it becoming a priority issue in the future.

The most promising statement comes from the Green Party of Alberta. They would create a task force to study proportional systems of voting, and -- most importantly -- would consult with the public on the options before making any recommendations to the Legislature. Once a system is adopted, they would use it for at least two elections, after which they would hold a referendum asking voters whether they prefer the new system or the old.

As dismal as the future for electoral reform in Alberta looks, we must remind ourselves how progressive our province once was on the issue. From 1926 to 1955 voters in Edmonton and Calgary used a proportional system of voting to elect their members of the legislature. We at Fair Vote Canada, Edmonton chapter, hope to see it back. We need it. Under our current system of voting it is impossible for all voters in a riding to elect a representative that represents their values and priorities. The consequence: far too many voters are excluded from having a voice in our Legislature.

From a fairness perspective, look at how many votes it took to elect the members of our Legislature in the last election: 61,253 votes for each Liberal MLA, 41,361 for each PC MLA, 33,221 for each Alberta Party member, 17,267 for each Wildrose Party MLA, and 11,195 for each NDP MLA. From another perspective, each NDP vote is worth 4.5 times as much as each Liberal vote. The numbers underscore a complete lack of fairness in the way we elect our representatives.

We are a long way from implementing a proportional system of voting in Alberta, but if the national scene shifts, or if Quebec or PEI or both implement it and voters here like what they see, the timeline might be shortened dramatically. Remember: in politics, things can change very quickly, particularly if we, in civil society organizations like Fair Vote Canada and Public Interest Alberta, have are already engaging Albertans about why our current voting system is unfair and which solutions we should embrace to fix it.

Note,  this article was written in my capacity as chair of  Fair Vote Canada, Edmonton chapter. Also, an abbreviated version of  this artile appears in the Spring 2019 issue of The Advocate, published by Public Interest Alberta.