Aw, ok. Keep up the enthusiasm!!
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PsyPhiGrad on Bluesky
If you agree that our "democracy" is under threat, please donate to a campaign to make every vote count and guarantee that you will no longer have to play games with your vote.
#CdnPoli #CanadianElections #PRNow
The image shows a comparison chart between two electoral systems: "First-past-the-post" and "Proportional Representation."
The chart is structured with two columns, with blue arrows pointing from left (First-past-the-post) to right (Proportional Representation), suggesting a progression or improvement.
The left column lists five characteristics of First-past-the-post systems:
- You are told to vote strategically to stop the worst outcome
- Parties with the most in common sling mud at each other
- Only voters in a few swing ridings really matter to the parties
- Millions of voters have no impact on the election result
- A party with a minority of the vote claims a "strong mandate"
The right column lists corresponding advantages of Proportional Representation:
- You can vote for what you believe in and your vote will count
- Parties are motivated to show voters they can work together
- Parties pay attention to every voter, no matter where they live
- Almost every vote counts to shape the next Parliament
- Parties know they will be working together for the common good
The image uses a blue border and blue arrows to guide the reader through the comparison.
10
SmartVoting.ca on Bluesky
After a few days of stagnated numbers we finally get an update that moves the needle. What's notable is the Greens are surging on Vancouver Island
FEDERAL SEAT PROJECTION
- LPC: 204 (225)
- CPC: 115 (86)
- BQ: 16 (18)
- NDP: 7 (12)
- GPC: 1 (3)
- PPC: 0 (0)
April 5, 2025 | MOE: +/- 10
7
Cooperate for Canada: Want to support your favourite party and keep the cons out of your riding?
(bsky.app)
Cooperate for Canada on Bluesky
Want to support your favourite party and keep the cons out of your riding?
54
Fair Vote Canada 🗳️🍁 on Bluesky
Wild that people still argue against proportional representation when FPTP has wrecked the UK and US.
No surprise Canadians want closer ties with the EU—PR brings more stable governments and fewer economic self-inflicted wounds.
7
Bhutila Karpoche on Bluesky
From the TTC to the UP Express, our community relies on public transit and transit workers every day.
I'm honoured to have the support of John Di Nino, President of ATU Canada, and ATU members.
As MP, I’ll always fight to improve Toronto’s transit.
9
B.C. Green Caucus on Bluesky
CARGA Update: Electoral Reform!
Today the BC Legislature officially struck a Special Committee on Democratic and Electoral Reform, to report back to the House by November 2025.
Full details in the screenshot 👇
BC Green MLA Rob Botterell is on the committee, along with MLAs from the BC NDP and the BC Conservatives.
The public will have the opportunity to participate in the committee this summer, so stay tuned!
20
Cooperate for Canada on Bluesky
Ways you can support your favourite party and keep the cons out of your riding.
You're exactly right, @cosmo. PR isn't mentioned in the video specifically - it's primarily about voting mechanisms (how voters express preferences) rather than seat allocation methods (how those preferences translate to representation).
The video does contain some inaccuracies. At 1:19, it claims FPTP is used in 44 countries, but fails to mention that most democracies use some form of proportional representation. And it conflates ranked-choice voting with instant-runoff voting, which leads to confusion.
The key insight is that proportionality and ballot type are separate issues:
- You can have proportional systems using various ballot types (ranked, rated, or simple choice)
- What makes a system proportional is how votes translate to seats, not how preferences are marked
You're absolutely correct that approval voting (a rated system) can be adapted for proportional representation through systems like Proportional Approval Voting or Satisfaction Approval Voting. Similarly, ranked ballots can be used in proportional systems like Single Transferable Vote (STV).
The fundamental question isn't which ballot type to use, but whether the system ensures that citizens get the representation they voted for. In our current system, roughly half of all valid votes elect nobody at all.
As you say - moving toward less suboptimal is worthwhile! And on that metric, proportional representation clearly outperforms our current system.
That Veritasium video is specifically about Arrow's Impossibility Theorem, which demonstrates that no ranked voting system can satisfy all ideal criteria simultaneously. You're misrepresenting its conclusions if you think it argues against proportional representation.
The video explicitly states at 18:44: "If there are three or more candidates to choose from, there is no ranked-choice method to rationally aggregate voter preferences."
But here's what the video actually concludes at 19:40:
"Arrow's Impossibility Theorem only applies to ordinal voting systems, ones in which the voters rank candidates over others. There is another way: rated voting systems."
The key distinction is that while no system is perfect, some systems are definitely better than others. At 21:11, it specifically notes that "some methods are clearly better at aggregating the people's preferences than others," and at 21:21 states that "the use of first past the post voting feels quite frankly ridiculous to me, given all of its flaws."
Importantly, not all proportional representation systems involve ranking. Mixed Member Proportional (MMP) uses two separate votes rather than having voters rank candidates, so Arrow's theorem doesn't even apply to this form of PR.
Under our current FPTP system, approximately 50% of perfectly valid ballots have zero effect on election outcomes. In the 2022 Ontario election alone, about 2.5 million votes (54% of those cast) elected nobody at all.
Rather than vaguely suggesting "something more modern," what specific system are you proposing that would better ensure citizens get the representation they deserve? Proportional representation isn't perfect, but it solves the fundamental democratic problem that FPTP creates: millions of citizens having no representation aligned with their political values.
The fundamental democratic principle remains simple: in a democracy, citizens are deserving of and entitled to representation in government. Only PR consistently delivers on this principle.
The Financial Post is American owned media pretending to be Canadian, infiltrating Canadian culture and politics.
The Brantford Expositor is American owned media pretending to be Canadian, infiltrating Canadian culture and politics.
The Calgary Herald is American owned media pretending to be Canadian, infiltrating Canadian culture and politics.
The Ottawa Citizen is American owned media pretending to be Canadian, infiltrating Canadian culture and politics.
My research found that West End Phoenix, The Local, and Spacing are all Canadian. But only West End Phoenix and The Local are non-profit (and therefore acquisition resistant), and are eligible to be featured on the infographic.
keep up the good work!
p.s. I'm secretly working on something more impactful… stay tuned.
Do you want Canadian Luigis?
I presume by Luigi, you mean Luigi Mangione?
Oui, c'est pourquoi j'essaie tres forte!
If you get a shot and you don’t take it, you’re out.
Nice! And if you need more ideas, get started with this link: 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.
Woot, woot!