On International Democracy Day, September 15th, in Toronto, over 500 Canadian Academics, several Fellows of the Royal Society of Canada, 29 Canada Research Chairs and two Professors with the Order of Canada, called on all Parties to work together to bring in a fairer electoral system.
Fair Vote Canada was joined by NDP MP and Electoral Reform Critic, Craig Scott, Liberal MP, Carolyn Bennett and Ontario Green Party Leader, Mike Schreiner, plus Former Parliamentary Budget Officer Kevin Page and Professor Emeritus Peter Russell, to release an open letter signed by over 500 Canadian Academics calling on the Parties to work together to bring in a more proportional voting system.
Fair Vote Canada’s Executive Director, Kelly Carmichael, states “The basic democratic principle that every Canadian’s vote should be equal and effective, regardless of where you live or for whom you vote, remains unfulfilled in our current electoral system. Every vote should not just be counted, it should count towards representation”
Professor Peter Russel adds “It is the people who should decide how they wish to be represented and who should use this election to tell those who now represent them that they want a change to a system that represents them fairly.”
Kevin Page, Former Parliamentary Budget Officer and Jean-Luc Pepin Research Chair in the Department of Political Studies at the University of Ottawa, stated “Institutions matter. All kinds of research show the linkage between strong institutions and the strength of your democracy and prosperity and how that is distributed among the people. We have an extraordinary opportunity. I think change is coming. You can feel the momentum. We have three parties that have promised to change the voting system. we need to take advantage of that.”
It’s hard to ignore the growing chorus of Canadians who understand the flaws in the system. They want equal and effective votes and don’t want to be treated like window dressing at the polls every four years. Fair Vote Canada is supported by over 60,000 Canadians, 35 Prominent Canadian Advisors, 700 volunteers working in the Ridings, 35 teams and Chapters and now 500 Academics calling for equal, effective votes.
Fair Vote Canada also unveiled their Where They Stand page that showcases all the candidates and their positions on proportional representation: www.fairvote.ca
You can find the Letter from Canadian Academics its Signatories here: http://bit.ly/1iPswCh