Advocacy groups renew calls for electoral reform in Ontario after Doug Ford’s Progressive Conservatives were re-elected by another majority last week, despite historically low turnout and most voters voted for other parties – although experts say this is probably not the beginning. .
In the June 2 election, 40 percent voted for the Progressive Conservatives, giving the party 83 seats. A total of nearly 53 percent voted for the NDP, the Liberals and the Greens, but these parties will have a total of 40 seats. The Liberals won almost a quarter of the vote, but will hold only eight of the 124 seats available. Turnout was at a record low of 43 percent.
“The results of the Ontario election were a gross misrepresentation of what voters said on their ballots,” said a Twitter post from Fair Vote Canada, an organization that supports the transition to a proportional system. “Majority governments must have the consent of the majority of voters.”
Proponents of electoral reform say Ontario’s results show that the province must abolish the “first past post” system, in which voters choose one candidate in their race and the person with the most votes wins. The successful candidate does not need to win a majority of the votes to take part.
Many would like to see a proportional representation in which the percentage of seats a party holds will reflect their share of the vote.
The result should “raise the alarm”, the group said
Democracy Watch, a non-profit advocacy group, has also proposed a new voting system that better reflects popular voting, along with mandatory Election Ontario voter training ads and messages informing people of their right to vote. The group also called the low turnout a “clear crisis” that should “raise concerns” about the legitimacy of the provincial government.
“More and more voters know from their experience in the last few decades of elections that they will not get what they vote for,” Democracy Watch co-founder Duff Conacher said in a written statement.
“Voters are likely to get a dishonest, secretive, unethical, unrepresentative and wasteful government, no matter who they vote for, and as a result no one should be surprised to see turnout at such a low level,” he wrote.
Cameron Anderson, a professor of political science at Western University, said people were understandably disappointed with the result, although he noted that the results could be bleak if, for example, the party with the most votes did not win enough seats to form a government.
Doug Ford, claiming that his party had received a clear mandate from 83-seat voters, ruled out the possibility when asked to change the province’s electoral system. (Greg Bruce / CBC)
“It was a very decisive victory among those who voted, but the consequences are as they are and it is certainly unpleasant for many,” he said in an interview.
Amid calls for change, Anderson noted that supporters of the current system can prove that majority governments offer stability without interruption or fear of early elections. He also noted the referendums on electoral reform that took place in a number of Canadian provinces – including Ontario – which ultimately adhered to the status quo.
In 2007, Ontario residents voted against the proportional mixed voting system. This model – which the NDP is campaigning on this time – is trying to give part of the stability of the “first past post” system to a fully proportional government, with some legislators elected in local constituencies and others from party lists.
“Changing the system is not easy and it is not a panacea,” Anderson said, adding that finding a compromise or agreement on a new system is a challenge when balancing the interests of citizens and political parties.
3 parties have promised to change the electoral system
Three of the four major parties have vowed to change the province’s electoral system during the 2022 campaign. But Ford, arguing that his party has been given a clear mandate, has ruled out the day after the election.
“I think this system has worked for more than 100 and a few strange years. He will continue to work this way, “he told reporters.
The federal liberal government has also promised – and failed to implement – electoral reform.
Speaking on the 2015 campaign, Justin Trudeau said this year’s federal election would be the last to use the “first last post” method, a promise he would eventually reject.
Emmanuel Richez, an associate professor of political science at the University of Windsor, said incumbent governments and elected representatives generally have no political will to introduce difficult reforms to the voting system that could threaten their power.
She also pointed to a “lack of public appetite for electoral reform”, despite the ongoing discussion in Ontario, citing past referendums across the country.
“This is a niche topic that is simply not a priority for most Ontario residents,” she said of the concept.
“My prediction is that you will never see him in Canada.”
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