Fairvote Canada

There is no uniform voting system for the election of [Members of the European Parliament]; rather, each member state is free to choose its own system, subject to certain restrictions:

• The system must be a form of proportional representation, under either the party list or the single transferable vote system.

I am genuinely curious. Some of my passing thoughts are below, if some context is needed.

I strongly believe that PR is a much better and fairer system than FPTP, and I hope it passes in Canada at least at the federal level.

The question. Are there any real disadvantages to PR compared to FPTP?

PR is obviously not a peefect system, and it has downsides compared to other forms of representation, such as Direct Democracy. But i cant find any real downsides when compared to FPTP.

I heard about:

1. PR allows extremist ideas to be represented. This is maybe true, but I think it is blown out of proportion It is also probably not a negative. Allowing their representation means that these ideas can be challenged in public, rather than simply censored. It also could reduce feelings of not being represented among the public, feelings which might be a strong contributing force to the rise of authoritarianism.

2. PR could effectively freeze government by not allowing anything to pass. This could be a negative, but in many cases it isn't. In case the majority is the extremist party, PR allows a sort of damage control.

2025-02-14: Natasha Doyle-Merrick on X

I recognize the race in Eglinton–Lawrence is a clear two-party contest between Liberals and Conservatives. To prevent a Conservative win and more years of neglect, I’m stepping aside to avoid a vote split. Please read my statement below.

#ONPoli #EgLaw #TOpoli

Natasha Doyle-Merrick

NDP Candidate for Eglinton-Lawrence

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

After much reflection, I have made the difficult decision to withdraw my candidacy in this provincial election.

The Lawrence Heights Community is my home. It is a place full of talented, intelligent and ambitious people who deserve to be heard and not used in political elections every four years for votes. They deserve political leaders who care and listen to their needs in the same way they listen to other constituents in the Eglinton-Lawrence riding.

So many people in Eglinton-Lawrence are eager for change. They want a candidate to be elected that is dedicated to driving change for ALL communities. My decision to run in this election was because I wanted to amplify the voices of community members who are currently being ignored by the incumbent.

This election is crucial because the past seven years Doug Ford and the Ontario Conservatives have been absent and ineffective, showing zero interest in delivering the support ALL residents in Eglinton-Lawrence need to thrive.

I got into politics for the people, and it would be a disservice for me to keep my name on the ballot knowing that the race in Eglinton-Lawrence is pivotal. Many residents cannot afford another four years of an Ontario Conservative government. This is why I have decided it was best to no longer be in this election, as it is clear that it is a two-party contest between the Ontario Liberals and Ontario Conservatives.

To everyone who has supported my campaign - thank you and I hope you all understand this decision was not easy, but one that had to be made to ensure Eglinton-Lawrence is well-represented. This movement has never been about one person, it's about all of us, coming together to right for a better future. Let's keep pushing for real change.

Sincerely,

Natasha Doyle-Merrick.

It took 3 minutes of pestering but finally Mike Schreiner says:

Why won't we change the voting system to make it more democratic, and have proportional representation, so the legislature actually represents the democratic will of the people of this province, which we don't have right now? It's unfortunate that the prime minister promised that in 2015, failed to deliver on it.

Extremely disappointing that it was so hard for him to make this statement. And immediately point the finger to Trudeau, as if provincial and federal elections are the same thing.

Doug Ford wants to stack the courts with "like-minded judges." Thanks to first-past-the-post, he can keep winning unchecked majorities with just 40% of the vote.

Democracy shouldn't work this way—Ontario needs proportional representation.

When they talk about ranked ballots they're actually talking about the instant run-off ranked voting system that produces the same aggressive politics, defacto 2-party system, lack of climate action. It’s s actually a downgrade over fptp as it makes it harder for the independents/smaller parties to win seats.

Source

Dominic LeBlanc

Chrystia Freeland

Mélanie Joly

François-Philippe Champagne

Anita Anand

Karina Gould

They were all caught on record voting against electoral reform on motion m-86. We deserve better than this.

The liberal supporters need to choose a decent liberal leader who supports proportional representation.

He should’ve passed proportional representation with the smaller parties but he instead pushed for instant-runoff voting which is often called “ranked choice voting”