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441-01948 (Democratic process)
Original language of petition: English
PETITION TO THE HOUSE OF COMMONS IN PARLIAMENT ASSEMBLED
Whereas:
1. The record-low voter turnout of 43% in the last Ontario election demonstrates a trend of increasing voter disengagement;
2. The distorted results from the most recent federal election clearly illustrate the need for electoral reform;
3. Polls consistently show that a majority of voters in every province, all age groups and all major political parties support the principle of proportional representation;
4. Citizens' Assemblies have considerable legitimacy and public trust because they are non-partisan, truly randomly-selected, representative bodies of citizens with no vested interest in the outcome;
5. Citizens' Assemblies allow for more nuanced public deliberation than simple yes/no referenda, and are immune from manipulation by disinformation campaigns;
6. Citizens' Assemblies have been used successfully in Canada, Australia, Belgium, France, Ireland, Scotland and the U.K. to tackle difficult issues; and
7. A Citizens' Assembly on Electoral Reform would give citizens a leadership role in building consensus on a specific model for electoral reform for Canada, and would need to be established as soon as possible to enable their recommendations to be adopted before the next federal election.
We, the undersigned citizens and residents of Canada, call upon the House of Commons in Parliament assembled to:
- Establish a Citizens' Assembly on Electoral Reform, consisting of randomly-selected citizens and reflecting the diversity of Canadian society;
- Mandate the Citizens' Assembly to craft a specific, detailed design for an electoral system tailored to Canada's needs and which makes every vote count, and to complete its work within 12 months; and
- Collaborate across party lines to table and pass legislation to enact the changes recommended by the Assembly, well before the next federal election.
Response by the Minister of Public Safety, Democratic Institutions and Intergovernmental Affairs
Signed by (Minister or Parliamentary Secretary): JENNIFER O’CONNELL
The Government of Canada is committed to strengthening Canada’s democratic institutions. 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. Among many things it provides Canadians with a direct connection to their Members of Parliament (MP), who must work with each other in developing national policy and making political decisions, while engaging and remaining accountable to their constituents in an increasingly digital and connected Canada.
The first-past-the-post system is not perfect – no system is – but it has served Canada well for over 150 years and continues to advance the democratic values that Canadians want reflected in their system of government. This includes strong local representation, stability, and accountability. How Canadians vote and how we govern ourselves is fundamentally important and impacts us all. Given this, the Government’s view has been very clear – any major reforms to the electoral system should not be made without the broad support of Canadians.
However, there are a number of ways in which the Government continues to seek to improve Canada’s federal electoral process. Notably, in 2018, the Government introduced the Elections Modernization Act, which represented a significant reform of the Canada Elections Act, which modernized the electoral process, making it easier for Canadians to participate in elections and further bolstering Canadians’ trust and confidence in Canada’s world class electoral system. The Government will continue to look for opportunities to consider improvements to Canada’s electoral system as it has always done, ensuring continuous improvement within an already robust system.
In a healthy democracy, there is always more work to do, but Canadians have many reasons to be proud of their electoral system. The Government of Canada will continue to work to strengthen and protect our democratic practices and institutions to ensure they uphold Canadian values.
- Presented to the House of Commons
-
Mike Morrice
(Kitchener Centre)
November 22, 2023 (Petition No. 441-01948) - Government response tabled
- January 29, 2024
Only validated signatures are counted towards the total number of signatures.