There’s a better way to elect government

Does our first-past-thepost voting system violate your right to fair and equal representation? A charter challenge (charter-challenge. ca) has been launched to find out.

In her decision in another case, Supreme Court Justice Beverley McLachlin ruled “Each citizen is entitled to be represented in government. Representation comprehends the idea of having a voice in the deliberations of government.” So, your member of Parliament (MP) may represent you, but do they give you a voice?

Odds are they don’t. In the 2015 election, fewer than 40 per cent of MPs won their seats with a majority of votes. Some won seats with fewer than 35 per cent of the votes. Presenting this another way, you might be in a riding where 13 out of 20 people have a representative but no voice. For example, in Desnethe-Missinippi-Churchill River in 2015, votes were split 34.15 per cent NDP, 33.88 per cent Liberal, 30.14 per cent Conservative, and 1.83 per cent Green.

Without a voice, we cannot hold our governments accountable. During Democracy Week, Sept. 15 to 21, ask yourself why 80 of the 123 democratic countries use some form of proportional representation. Don’t be surprised to discover it is because proportional representation gives voters a fair and equal voice — plus proportional representation outperforms first-past-thepost on measures of quality of life, income equality, environmental performance, and fiscal policy.

Most parties have shifted to continual election mode because of our winnertake-all-system. This makes Democracy Week and every week a good week to tell your candidate they will only get your vote if they vote for proportional representation. Nancy Carswell, Shellbrook