Fairvote Canada

Polling Canada on Bluesky

69% of Canadians have a favourable view of the European Union, compared to 34% who view the US favourably

Might explain why close to half of Canadians say they would support joining the EU

https://canadianpolling.substack.com/p/surprising-share-of-canadians-support

Full text agreement here.

Section 3 – Policy Initiatives & 2025 Deliverables

11. Democratic and Electoral Reform

The Parties will work together to create a special legislative all-party committee to evaluate and recommend policy and legislation measures to be pursued beginning in 2026 to increase democratic engagement & voter participation, address increasing political polarization, and improve the representativeness of government. The committee will review and consider preferred methods of proportional representation as part of its deliberations. The Government will work with the BCGC to establish the detailed terms of reference for this review, which are subject to the approval of both parties. The terms of reference will include the ability to receive expert and public input, provide for completion of the Special Committee’s work in Summer 2025, and public release of the Committee’s report within 45 days of completion. The committee will also review the administration of the 43rd provincial general election, including consideration of the Chief Electoral Officer’s report on the 43rd provincial general election, and make recommendations for future elections.

Longest Ballot Committee on Bluesky

‪It’s true. If just 3.5% of Canada’s population (1.4 million people) decided to run as a candidate in the next federal election…I think we’d be guaranteed some quick movement on electoral reform ❤️ https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20190513-it-only-takes-35-of-people-to-change-the-world

Fair Vote Canada on Bluesky

Congratulations to @mark-carney.bsky.social on becoming the new leader of the Liberal party and Canada’s next prime minister.

A new leader is a chance for a stronger democracy—one where every vote counts.

It's time for proportional representation.

#CdnPoli

Electoral Renewal Canada on Bluesky

‪I will say, this is a long road. People have been pushing for this for decades.

But things like Trudeau's promise in 2015, and the 2018 referendum in BC suggest we are closer than ever before.

There was 12 years between New Zealand Labour promising electoral reform and the first election under PR.

Electoral Renewal Canada on Bluesky

Did strategic voting matter in the Ontario Election?

My verdict is that a large number of people DID vote strategically in this election. However, I don't believe it was a determining factor.

It did deliver a massive advantage to sitting MPPs. Let's look at the numbers. (1/6)

🟧 NDP incumbents performed remarkably well.

Avg. NDP candidate: -5.5% (compared to '22) Ridings NDP won in '22: -0.7% Ridings w/ NDP inc. running for re-election: +3.0% (‼️)

This difference is unusual, but it's quite clear that the NDP benefitted >when they had a strong name to rally around. (2/6)

🟥 Liberal incumbents also overperformed.

Avg. OLP candidate: +6.1 Ridings w/ Liberal incumbent running for re-election: +13.4

In all elections, incumbents do have a name recognition advantage, but beating the median by more than 7% is notable. (3/6)

Here's why I think strategic voting was at play. Here is he swing for:

🟧 NDP candidates in OLP ridings: -10.0% (4.5% below avg.)

🟥 OLP candidates in NDP ridings: +0.8% (5.3% below avg.)

I think this shows, when there was a clear name to rally around, a noticeable % of NDP and OLP voters did (4/6)

Here is where I dispel some enthusiasm.

In 2018, if you bundled Liberal and NDP votes into one party, they would have won 82 seats.

In 2022, that number was down to 71.

In 2025, it was 61. Which means that even with "perfect" strategic voting, there would be no majority for the coalition. (5/6)

The fact is that, even as it seems that many Ontarians did attempt to vote strategically, it did not impact the outcome of the election.

If voters are frustrated that a third consecutive Ford government is being upheld by a 40% majority, perhaps we should consider proportional representation. (6/6)

Alt text: Infographic titled "A Simple Guide to Electoral Systems" with a light blue background. At the top, a highlighted box states: "In a healthy democracy, citizens are deserving of and entitled to representation in government. Only proportional representation can dependably get you there."

The content is organized in two main columns. The left column labeled "Winner-Take-All Systems 🚫" (in red) describes First-Past-The-Post (FPTP) used in Canada/USA where the candidate with most votes wins but many votes don't elect anyone, and Instant-Runoff Voting (IRV) which uses ranked ballots but still wastes votes.

The right column labeled "Proportional Representation ✓" (in green) describes Mixed-Member Proportional (MMP) used in Germany/New Zealand where voters cast ballots for both local candidates and parties, and Single Transferable Vote (STV) used in Ireland which uses ranked ballots in multi-member districts. Both proportional systems ensure the percentage of votes equals percentage of seats.

A blue band across the middle highlights "Systems using Ranked Ballots: IRV and STV."

The bottom contains three gray boxes stating: "Which electoral system is best? If you care about democracy, proportional representation is the way to go," "Which political parties support proportional representation? Only Green🟢/NDP🟧/RPC🟨 consistently support proportional representation," and "Share this with a pro-democracy friend!"

The content is licensed under CC-BY-NC-SA-4.0.

List of parties that support proportional representation:

• 🟢Green
• 🟧New Democratic Party (NDP)
• 🟨Revolution Party of Canada (RPC)
• ⚜️Bloc Québécois
• 🐮Animal Protection Party
• Communist Party of Canada
• The Canadian Future Party

Also see: Simple things you can do right now, to grow the proportional representation movement—so we never have to vote for the lesser of the evils, have a two party system, "split the vote", or strategic vote.

Fair Vote Canada on Bluesky

Young voters are Canada’s electoral majority—so why do so many feel unheard?

A new Cord article explores the barriers to voting and how Fair Vote Canada is fighting for a system where every vote truly counts.

Read more: Creating a toolbox of voting resources - The Cord

Andrew Coyne on Bluesky

I've written a book. It's called The Crisis of Canadian Democracy and it's coming out in May. You can pre-order it from Sutherland House Books at sutherlandhousebooks.com/product/the-....

Or, if you prefer, from Amazon: amazon.ca/Crisis-Canad... or Indigo: indigo.ca/en-ca/the-cr...

Andrew Coyne, one of Canada’s most esteemed political thinkers, delivers a powerful exposé of the nation’s crumbling democratic institutions.

With characteristic wit, insight, and rigor, Coyne dismantles the comforting myths Canadians tell themselves about their political system, revealing a parliamentary structure eroded by unaccountable leaders, disempowered MPs, manipulated elections, and systemic dysfunction. The Crisis of Canadian Democracy is both a wake-up call and a call to action, offering compelling solutions to restore genuine self-government to Canadian politics. Essential reading for leaders, citizens, and anyone who cares about the future of democracy in Canada—or anywhere else.

Publisher: Sutherland House Books

Shipping dimensions: 9" H x 6" W x 1" L

ISBN: 9781990823916

Fair Vote Canada on Bluesky

Germany under PR: Far-right gets 20% but is shut out by democratic parties.

USA under FPTP: Far-right takes over the GOP, erodes democracy, and works to economically weaken us for annexation.

FPTP doesn’t protect democracy—it endangers it.

#cdnpoli

Link to article.

While the federal government is prorogued and most of the country focuses on the ongoing trade disputes with the USA, one group is preparing itself to make its voice heard ahead of the possible upcoming federal election.

As anti-trans bills continue to be rolled out across the United States, the LGBTQ+ community in Canada is gearing up to make sure that something similar does not happen in Canada.

A Queer Mass Organizing Call connected to the group Momentum Canada has been posted all over social media.

The Supreme Court of Canada ruled Friday that a key provision of Ontario’s Election Finances Act — hurriedly passed by the Ford government prior to the 2022 election — unconstitutionally breaches the right to vote and is of no force and effect. The act imposed a spending limit on third parties (that is, everyone except for political parties) for 12 months prior to an election call, as determined by Ontario’s fixed election date law. A five-justice majority found that violated the Charter of Rights and Freedoms’ guarantee to a right to vote and to meaningful participation in the electoral process under Section 3 of the Charter, even though similar laws are usually challenged as restrictions on freedom of speech.

That decision is critical in this case since Section 33 of the Charter, the so-called notwithstanding clause, can be used to override the guarantee of free expression but not voting rights. So even though the legislature invoked Section 33 to pass the government’s bill, the Supreme Court’s decision in Ontario v. Working Families renders it null and void.

Fair Vote Canada on Bluesky

How is this democratic?

It's time for proportional representation.

#cdnpoli #onpoli

A political infographic titled 'Ontario votes 2025' compares the popular vote and seat distribution in the Ontario election. On the left, a pie chart labeled 'How we voted (popular vote)' shows: PC (43%), Liberal (29.9%), NDP (18.6%), Green (4.8%), and Other (3.8%). On the right, a pie chart labeled 'What we got (seats)' shows: PC (64.5%), NDP (21.8%), Liberal (11.3%), Green (1.6%), and Other (0.8%). The infographic highlights the discrepancy between votes cast and seats won under the first-past-the-post system.