Every Vote Should Count: Why Voting Liberal or Conservative in the 2025 Election Perpetuates a Broken Democracy

As Canada heads to the polls in April 2025, we face a critical choice about the future of our democracy. Both Liberals under Mark Carney and Conservatives under Pierre Poilievre continue to block (or is ambiguous on) proportional representation (PR), ensuring millions of perfectly valid ballots will have no effect on election outcomes.

The Liberal Record on Electoral Reform

• Liberals have campaigned on proportional representation since 1919 (starting with Mackenzie King)
• In 2015, Justin Trudeau promised 1,800+ times that it would be "the last election under first-past-the-post"
• After forming government, Trudeau abandoned reform when he couldn't get his preferred non-proportional system
• In 2024, Trudeau admitted that Liberals were "deliberately vague" about electoral reform to appeal to PR advocates
• Mark Carney has been noncommittal on PR despite his economic expertise, claiming to be "open" while avoiding firm commitments

The Conservative Position

• Conservatives consistently favour maintaining FPTP
• Pierre Poilievre shows no interest in changing the system that benefits his party
• The current electoral system enables single-party rule with a minority of votes
• Both parties benefit from false majorities delivered by our broken system

Why This Matters in 2025

Canada's democracy faces mounting threats, from foreign interference concerns to polarization. A truly representative system would provide the strongest defence:

• In Hastings-Lennox and Addington during the 2025 Ontario election, 51.6% of voters had no representation in Queen's Park
• Meanwhile, Germany's 2025 election under PR saw voter turnout hit 83%
• Research examining 36 democracies from 2000-2019 shows countries using PR have lower polarization than those with winner-take-all systems
• Only 6% of the world's population lives in full democracies, and most use PR systems

When you vote Liberal or Conservative in April, you endorse a system where millions of votes make no difference to election outcomes. You endorse a system where parties that receive minority vote shares regularly wield 100% of the power.

Only the Greens, NDP, and smaller parties like the Revolution Party of Canada consistently support PR. If democracy matters to you, shouldn't your vote reflect that?

Marit Stiles🟧 on Bluesky

As Trump’s reckless new tariffs threaten our auto sector and thousands of workers, we are ready to stand united to fight back with retaliatory tariffs. We won’t back down. I'll be reaching out to Premier Ford to again offer the Opposition's full support to protect workers & jobs in the auto sector.

Now Toronto on Bluesky

NDP leader Jagmeet Singh says families are squeezed by expenses and he's promising to cut taxes. #Election2025 #cdnpoli

Jagmeet Singh🟧 on Bluesky

Michelle is a single mother, who starts work at 5 am to provide for her daughter.

When she sees tax cuts for the ultra-rich — she thinks, "what about me?”She’s right.

Our middle-class tax cut will help Canadians like Michelle by putting them first , not the ultra-rich.

👉 ndp.ca/tax-cut-for-people

The Tyee on Bluesky

The first full day on the election trail and both the Liberals and Conservatives pledged the same thing: to change the personal income tax rate of the lowest federal tax bracket.

David Macdonald writes. #canpoli #CdnElxn2025

https://thetyee.ca/Analysis/2025/03/26/Tax-Cut-Promises-Federal-Election-2025

PressProgress on Bluesky

Anti-union lobby groups are endorsing Pierre Poilievre’s Conservatives

The Conservative Party of Canada is receiving endorsements from "open shop" groups with a long history of anti-union lobbying

https://pressprogress.ca/anti-union-lobby-groups-are-endorsing-pierre-poilievres-conservatives/

CCPA — Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives on Bluesky

The collapse of local news is fuelling a disinformation crisis. By @davidmaccdn.bsky.social "The solution is more local news, not less. Without it, Canadians are left in the dark and disinformation steps in to light the way." @policyalternatives.ca #localnews theclarion.ca/viewpoint/th...

The Walrus on Bluesky

“Pierre Poilievre has taken anger and frustration that should be directed at the chartered banks that earn billions, grocery chains that earn the same, and the rest of the gougers and redirected it at the Liberals,” writes @drmarkbourrie.bsky.social. thewalrus.ca/poilievre-finall...

Cult MTL on Bluesky

Canadians need an immediate inquiry into foreign interference with the Poilievre campaign

“Does Canada have a Conservative Party, or a foreign interference party?”

An editorial by @taylornoakes.bsky.social.

https://cultmtl.com/2025/03/canadians-need-an-immediate-inquiry-into-foreign-interference-with-the-poilievre-campaign/

[The] Bottom line

This is a pricey measure that disproportionately benefits the rich and some middle-income earners (and only a sliver of them) and it barely moves the needle for the lowest-income earners. The expenditures are so large and these parties are so concerned with having no deficits that they’ll require massive cuts elsewhere to balance the budget. We are yet to see a detailed list of those cuts, but I look forward to examining them when they come.

Methodology

All figures are using Statistics Canada’s tax modelling software SPSD/M 30.3. All figures are projected for 2025 to provide an “apples to apples” comparison of the proposed changes in the same year. The Conservatives would phase in their tax cuts until 2027, at which point they estimate it would cost $14 billion, but this simulation examines the impacts of the Conservative plan in 2025 so timing differences don’t come into play and the two proposals can be directly compared.

Fair Vote Canada on Bluesky

CBC just aired a great explainer on electoral reform—and it’s everything we’ve been working for.

Proportional representation, real experts, real solutions.

Watch and share!

#cdnpoli #Election2025 www.youtube.com/watch?v=4daI...

In his time at Brookfield Asset Management, Liberal Leader Mark Carney personally co-chaired two investment funds dedicated to the transition to a net-zero carbon economy, worth a total of $25 billion.

Those funds were registered in Bermuda, among other locations, allowing investors to benefit from significant tax advantages, according to information obtained by Radio-Canada.

The funds created while Carney was on Brookfield's board of directors are the Brookfield Global Transition Fund ($15 billion) and the Brookfield Global Transition Fund II ($10 billion), launched in 2021 and 2024 respectively.

According to the Ontario Business Registry, the funds were registered in Bermuda under the names of BGTF Bermuda GP Ltd. and BGTF II Bermuda GP Ltd.

In both cases, the provincial registry indicates that the "governing jurisdiction" for the corporations is located in Bermuda.

Tax havens widely used

For every person that subscribes to c/fairvote, I'll donate $1 to proportional representation advocacy!

Generation Squeeze on Bluesky

It's election season in Canada! We will be providing thoughtful analysis on how promises made are either effective and thoughtful or more slogan than substance. Follow along for daily updates www.gensqueeze.ca/2025_federal...

Mike Morris on Bluesky

This campaign is about all of us standing up for what we believe in – from a tariff response that reflects our community's interests to ensuring everyone has an affordable place to call home!

If you’d like to get involved or pledge your vote on election day, you can do so here linktr.ee/morricemike

Cult MTL on Bluesky

Danielle Smith must resign immediately and there needs to be an urgent inquiry into allegations of foreign interference with the Poilievre campaign. https://cultmtl.com/2025/03/danielle-smith-crossed-a-line-and-must-resign/

UBC Centre for the Study of Democratic Institutions on Bluesky

📸 Scenes from the in-person launch of “Municipal Matters!”

We had an incredible conversation on how local governments can drive meaningful climate action while navigating misinformation and building public trust.

🔗 Read the full report: democracy.ubc.ca/featured/mun...

Thank you to our panelists Andrea Reimer (@andreareimer.bsky.social), Wes Regan (@wesleyregan.bsky.social) and our report authors Maddie Sides and Ghassan Hamzeh for sharing their insights!

Fair Vote Canada on Bluesky

Winner-take-all voting has failed millions of Canadians—PR is how we fix it.

With proportional representation, your vote actually counts and your voice is heard.

Help us spread the message during this federal election by delivering door hangers—link in the reply!

#cdnpoli #election2025

TVO Today | The Agenda on Bluesky

What do sagging poll numbers for the federal NDP and Jagmeet Singh say about the party's future? Could they lose official party status? @jeyantvo.bsky.social asked @shachikurl.bsky.social (@angusreidinstitute.bsky.social), @davidmoscrop.com, and @lobbygrl.bsky.social (Wright Strategies) #cdnpoli