Strenghtening Democracy in Canada : Principles, Process and Public Engagement for Electoral Reform

the Report is here >>
http://www.parl.gc.ca/Content/HOC/Committee/421/ERRE/Reports/RP8655791/421_ERRE_Rpt03_PDF/421_ERRE_Rpt03-e.pdf

TABLE OF CONTENTS

  

STRENGTHENING DEMOCRACY IN CANADA: PRINCIPLES, PROCESS AND

PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT FOR ELECTORAL REFORM .................................................. 1

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................... 1

A. Electoral Reform and Canada’s Unique Democratic Ecosystem .......................... 1

B. The Committee’s Mandate ................................................................................... 3

C. The Committee’s Study in Numbers ..................................................................... 4

1. Formal Hearings .............................................................................................. 5

2. E-Consultation on Electoral Reform ................................................................ 6

3. Open Mic Sessions ......................................................................................... 8

4. Written Submissions and Correspondence ..................................................... 9

5. MP Town Hall Reports .................................................................................... 9

CHAPTER 2: ELECTORAL REFORM AND THE CONSTITUTION .............................. 11

A. Constitutional Basis of the Federal Electoral System and Implications for

System Reform ................................................................................................... 11

1. Constitutional Provisions related to the Federal Electoral System and

Reform .......................................................................................................... 11

2. Selected Canadian Jurisprudence: Electoral Reform and the Constitution ...... 14

B. Witness and Submission Observations on the Constitutionality of Electoral

System Reform ................................................................................................... 15

CHAPTER 3: LESSONS LEARNED: A HISTORY OF ELECTORAL SYSTEM REFORM

AT THE FEDERAL AND PROVINCIAL LEVELS .......................................................... 21

A. 1921: A Turning Point ......................................................................................... 22

1. The House of Commons 1921 Special Committee on Proportional

Representation and the Subject of the Single Transferable or

Preferential Vote ........................................................................................... 23

B. Subsequent Studies of Electoral System Reform at the Federal Level .............. 24

1. 1935-1937: The Special Committee on Elections and Franchise Acts .......... 24

2. A Trio of Task Forces/Royal Commissions: 1979, 1985, 1991...................... 24

3. Law Commission of Canada, Voting Counts: Electoral Reform for

Canada, 2004 ................................................................................................ 25

4. House of Commons Standing Committee on Procedure and House

Affairs, Forty-Third Report (Electoral Reform) (tabled 16 June 2005) ........... 27

viii

 

5. Government of Canada, Public Consultations on Canada’s Democratic

Institutions and Practices, 2007 .................................................................... 28

C. Electoral Reform at the Provincial Level ............................................................. 28

1. Early Reform Initiatives ................................................................................... 28

2. Recent Reform Initiatives ............................................................................... 29

a. British Columbia ....................................................................................... 30

b. Ontario ..................................................................................................... 33

c. Quebec .................................................................................................... 33

d. New Brunswick ........................................................................................ 34

e. Prince Edward Island ............................................................................... 36

CHAPTER 4: VALUES AND ELECTORAL SYSTEMS: TOWARDS A “MADE IN

CANADA” PROPOSAL ................................................................................................. 41

A. Of Values and Principles .................................................................................... 41

1. Principles and Electoral Systems: A Matter of Trade-Offs ............................ 44

B. Electoral System Families: Majoritarian, Proportional, and Mixed ...................... 45

1. Electoral System Components ...................................................................... 45

C. Our Current Electoral System: Single-Member Plurality, aka First-Pastthe-

Post .............................................................................................................. 46

1. FPTP’s Perceived Strengths ......................................................................... 47

a. FPTP is efficient and simple for both voters and election

administrators: ......................................................................................... 47

b. FPTP focuses on local representation: ..................................................... 48

c. FPTP tends to produce majority governments: ......................................... 49

2. FPTP’s Perceived Shortcomings ................................................................... 49

a. FPTP in a Multi-Candidate, Multi-Party Context ...................................... 50

b. FPTP, Voter Apathy, Strategic Voting, Policy Reversal, and Lack of

Diverse Representation ........................................................................... 52

D. Electoral System Change: What Alternatives Would Work in Canada? ............. 56

1. The Alternative Vote and Other Ranked Ballot Variants in Single-

Member Constituencies ................................................................................ 58

a. Tallying Methods: The Alternative Vote, the Borda Count, and the

Condorcet Method ................................................................................... 59

i. The Alternative Vote (also referred to as Instant Runoff Voting) ........ 60

ii. The Borda Count ................................................................................ 60

iii. The Condorcet Method ....................................................................... 62

ix

 

b. Perceived Strengths of Ranked Ballots in Single-Member

Constituencies ......................................................................................... 64

c. Perceived Shortcomings of Ranked Ballots in Single-Member

Constituencies ......................................................................................... 65

2. Proportional Electoral Systems ..................................................................... 69

a. Proportionality: Perceived Strengths ........................................................ 71

b. Proportionality: Perceived Shortcomings ................................................. 74

3. The Single Transferable Vote and Other Ranked Ballot Variants in

Multiple Member Constituencies ................................................................... 77

a. The Single Transferable Vote .................................................................. 77

b. Jean-Pierre Derriennic’s “Moderate Proportional Representation

with a Preferential Vote” Proposal ........................................................... 81

c. Jean-Pierre Kingsley’s suggestion and Fair Vote Canada’s Rural-

Urban Proportional Proposal .................................................................... 82

4. Mixed Electoral Systems: Mixed Member Proportional Representation

and its Variants ............................................................................................. 84

a. Introduction .............................................................................................. 84

b. Perceived benefits of MMP ...................................................................... 84

c. History of MMP in Canada ....................................................................... 85

d. Components of MMP ............................................................................... 86

i. Open and Closed Party Lists .............................................................. 86

ii. Diversity and party lists ....................................................................... 88

iii. Regions and party lists ....................................................................... 89

iv. Dual Candidacy? ................................................................................ 89

e. Consequences of MMP............................................................................ 90

i. Two Types of MPs? ............................................................................ 90

ii. Coalition Governments ....................................................................... 92

f. Considerations ......................................................................................... 93

i. Ratio of Constituency MPs to List MPs ............................................... 93

ii. MMP in the Territories ........................................................................ 94

E. Recommendations .............................................................................................. 95

CHAPTER 5: CIVICS, DUTIES, AND RIGHTS: MANDATORY VOTING ...................... 97

A. Australia’s Experience with Mandatory Voting .................................................. 100

B. Foundations: Accessibility and Enforcement .................................................... 102

x

 

C. Turnout, Engagement, Incentives and Penalties .............................................. 105

1. Turnout and Engagement............................................................................ 105

2. Incentives and Penalties ............................................................................. 106

D. Observations and Recommendations ............................................................... 106

CHAPTER 6: ONLINE AND ELECTRONIC VOTING.................................................. 109

A. Accessibility ...................................................................................................... 110

1. Voters with Disabilities ................................................................................ 111

2. Internet access ............................................................................................ 111

B. Security ............................................................................................................ 112

1. Secrecy and Transparency ......................................................................... 113

2. Security and Accessibility ............................................................................ 114

C. Participation and the Voting Experience ........................................................... 114

D. Observations and Recommendations ............................................................... 115

CHAPTER 7: DIVERSITY AND ENGAGEMENT: A PARLIAMENT THAT

MIRRORS CANADA ................................................................................................... 117

A. A Parliament that Mirrors Canada .................................................................... 117

B. Effects of Electoral Systems on the Diversity of the House of Commons ......... 118

C. Nomination Process and the Role of Political Parties ....................................... 120

D. Overcoming Barriers to Entry ........................................................................... 121

E. Indigenous Representation ............................................................................... 122

F. Representation of Canadians with Disabilities .................................................. 124

G. The Per-Vote Subsidy and Party Financing ...................................................... 124

H. Recommendations ............................................................................................ 125

CHAPTER 8: VOTER ENGAGEMENT AND PARTICIPATION .................................. 127

A. Civic Education ................................................................................................. 127

1. Civics Courses for Young Canadians .......................................................... 127

2. Education, Engagement, and Indigenous Canadians ................................. 129

3. Civic Education for the General Electorate ................................................. 130

B. Lowering the Voting Age to Encourage Inclusion and Participation .................. 130

1. Scotland’s Experience with Lowering the Voting Age ................................. 131

2. Why Lower the Voting Age? ........................................................................ 131

C. Accessibility: Removing Barriers to Voting For People in

Underrepresented Communities ....................................................................... 132

xi

 

1. Students ...................................................................................................... 133

2. Senior Citizens ............................................................................................ 134

3. Indigenous Canadians ................................................................................ 135

4. Canadians with Disabilities.......................................................................... 135

5. Individuals Living in Low-income Circumstances ........................................ 136

D. Alternative Voting Days .................................................................................... 137

1. Voting on the Weekend ............................................................................... 137

2. Election Day Holiday ................................................................................... 138

E. Recommendations ............................................................................................ 138

CHAPTER 9: MOVING FORWARD ON ELECTORAL SYSTEM REFORM:

A QUESTION OF PROCESS ...................................................................................... 141

A. Education, Education, Education ...................................................................... 143

B. On Process and Democratic Legitimacy ........................................................... 145

C. Consensus, the Committee, Parliament and Electoral Reform ......................... 146

D. Citizen-focused Deliberative Processes: Citizens’ Assemblies and More ........ 148

E. To Referendum or Not to Referendum? ........................................................... 152

1. Arguments in Favour of a Referendum on Electoral Reform ....................... 154

2. Arguments Against Holding a Referendum on Electoral Reform ................. 155

3. Logistical Considerations .............................................................................. 157

4. Lessons Learned from Referendums and Plebiscites Past ......................... 159

F. Observation and Recommendations ................................................................ 163

LIST OF RECOMMENDATIONS ................................................................................ 165

APPENDIX A: ORDER OF REFERENCE ................................................................... 169

APPENDIX B: LIST OF WITNESSES ......................................................................... 173

APPENDIX C: LIST OF BRIEFS ................................................................................. 199

APPENDIX D: LIST OF MEMBERS’ REPORTS ......................................................... 227

APPENDIX E: E-CONSULTATION ON ELECTORAL REFORM ................................ 235

APPENDIX F: E-CONSULTATION ON ELECTORAL REFORM,

SUMMARY OF RESPONSES ..................................................................................... 261

APPENDIX G: CLASSIFICATION OF BRIEFS SUBMITTED

TO THE COMMITTEE ................................................................................................. 291

REQUEST FOR GOVERNMENT RESPONSE ........................................................... 319

SUPPLEMENTARY OPINION OF THE LIBERAL PARTY OF CANADA .................... 321

SUPPLEMENTARY OPINION OF THE NEW DEMOCRATIC PARTY OF CANADA

AND THE GREEN PARTY OF CANADA .................................................................... 329