Reformers are looking around the globe while coming up with final proposals for Canada voting reforms

Committee studying Canadian electoral reform gets lessons from abroad

OTTAWA – Canadian members of a special committee studying electoral reform are looking overseas to find out how alternative voting systems have affected other Commonwealth countries. Witnesses from Ireland, Australia and New Zealand appeared at marathon sittings of the committee Tuesday as part of MPs’ summer study of alternative voting systems. Part of the study includes…

It keeps out fascists! The utterly biased case for why everybody should stop hating first past the post

First past the post is the voting system everybody loves to hate. The Liberals have called it “unfair.” It was invented in a time when “people thought the Earth was flat” says Green Party leader Elizabeth May. NDP MPs have straight-up denounced the system as “illegitimate.” First past the post, in short, is the system in…

Why governments elected by proportional representation spend more money

The federal government wants to reform Canada’s electoral system and has set up a committee that’s investigating the options. But so far, few have acknowledged that changing the way we elect our political representatives could have profound consequences on real policy. Two of the five political parties on the committee – the New Democratic Party and…