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441-00691 (Democratic process)

Paper petition

Original language of petition: English

Petition to the Government of Canada

Whereas:

  • Canada's electoral system from its very inception has always been a "First-past-the-Post" (FPTP) system, unfairly resulting in either a Liberal or Conservative government with virtually no opposition, no impact on the popular vote leading to distorted Canadian values;
  • Proportional Representation (PR) is a principle that says that the percentage of seats a party has in the legislature should reflect the percentage of the people who voted for that party, so that if a party gets 40% of the popular vote, they should get 40% of the seats;
  • In the 2021 election the Liberals had 32.62% winning 160 seats, Conservatives 33.74% winning 119 seats, Bloc Quebecois 7.64% winning 32 seats, NDP 17.82% winning 25 seats, People Party 4.94% winning 0 seat and Green Party 2.33% winning 2 seats;
  • Under a FPTP system, like the current system in Canada, a party can win a majority of seats and all the power with less than half the popular vote;
  • Proportional Representation (PR) ensures that majority governments have an actual majority of the voters (popular vote) backing them;
  • Many other countries such as Germany, Italy, Ireland, New Zealand and the Netherlands have progressed from a FPTP system to a PR System; and
  • Many American States are seeking to implement "Ranked Choice Voting" so that all votes are calculated.

We, the undersigned, residents of Canada, call upon the Government of Canada to move to a "Proportional Representation” system to bring credible representation to Canadians.

Response by the Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, Infrastructure and Communities

Signed by (Minister or Parliamentary Secretary): Jennifer O'Connell

The Government of Canada is committed to improving and strengthening our democracy. Our electoral system (i.e., the fundamental rules determining how votes are translated into seats in the House of Commons) is one of the most foundational pieces of our democracy – at its core is a question of how we, as Canadians, govern ourselves. The Government’s view has been clear: major reforms to the electoral system should not be made if they lack the broad support of Canadians.

In 2016, the Government consulted broadly with Canadians on electoral reform. In fact, the electoral reform consultations were among the largest and farthest-reaching consultations ever undertaken by the Government of Canada.

These public consultations included 57 parliamentary committee meetings that heard from 763 witnesses, 172 consultations undertaken by individual Members of Parliament (MPs), a cross-country Ministerial tour that made stops in 18 towns and cities across every province and territory, and online consultations that more than 360,000 people in Canada participated.

The Government of Canada is thankful to all Canadians who took part in these consultations.

The Government listened to Canadians carefully and gained valuable insights into Canadian democracy. Canadians cherish their democracy and value the direct connection they have with their MP. Canadians want their parliamentarians to work with each other and to cooperate on policy. They want their government to be accountable. They want their MPs to act in the interests of their constituents. The Government agrees.

A clear preference for a new electoral system, let alone a consensus, did not emerge from these consultations. Consequently, the Government decided not to proceed with changing the electoral system.

Our work did not stop there. The Government also took steps to modernize the electoral process and to make it more accessible, transparent and secure. The Elections Modernization Act, which passed in 2018, represents a generational overhaul of the Canada Elections Act, allowing it to better address the realities facing our democratic institutions in the 21st century. The Government of Canada will continue to work to strengthen and protect our democratic institutions.

The first-past-the-post system has served this country for over 150 years and advances a number of democratic values Canadians hold dear, such as strong local representation, stability, and accountability.

Presented to the House of Commons
Gord Johns (Courtenay—Alberni)
September 22, 2022 (Petition No. 441-00691)
Government response tabled
November 14, 2022
Photo - Gord Johns
Courtenay—Alberni
New Democratic Party Caucus
British Columbia

Only validated signatures are counted towards the total number of signatures.