Defense groups are renewing calls for electoral reform in Ontario after Doug Ford’s Progressive Conservatives were re-elected with another majority last week, despite historically low turnout and a majority of voters voting for other parties. , although experts say he is likely to be a non-initiator.
In the June 2 election, 40% voted in favor of the Conservative Progressives, giving the party 83 seats. About 53% of the total voted for the NPD, the Liberals and the Greens, but these parties will have a total of 40 seats. The Liberals won almost a quarter of the popular vote, but will only occupy eight of the 124 seats available. The turnout was a record 43%.
“The results of the Ontario election were a great distortion of what voters said with their ballots,” read a Twitter post from Fair Vote Canada, an organization that supports moving to a proportional system. “Majority governments should have the consent of the majority of voters.”
Proponents of her case have been working to make the actual transcript of this statement available online. The selected candidate does not need to win a majority of votes to take the bypass.
Many would like a proportional representation, under which the percentage of seats occupied by a party would reflect its share of the popular vote.
The result should “raise alarms,” the group says.
Democracy Watch’s nonprofit advocacy group has also proposed a new voting system to better reflect the popular vote, along with the requirement for Elections Ontario voter education announcements and messages to inform people of their right to reject a vote. The group also called the historic low turnout a “clear crisis” that should “raise alarm” over the legitimacy of the provincial government.
“More and more voters know from their experience of the last few decades of elections that they will not get what they vote for,” Democracy Watch co-founder Duff Conacher said in a written statement.
“Voters are likely to have a dishonest, secretive, unethical, unrepresentative, and wasteful government, regardless of who they vote for, and as a result, no one should be surprised to see voter turnout at such a low level.” , he wrote.
Cameron Anderson, a professor of political science at Western University, said people are understandably frustrated with the outcome, although he noted that the results could have been more bleak if, for example, the party with the most votes did not win enough. seats to form a government. .
Doug Ford, maintaining that his party received a clear mandate from voters with 83 seats, ruled out the possibility when asked about changing the province’s electoral system. (Greg Bruce / CBC)
“It was a very decisive victory for those who voted, but the consequences are what they are, and it is unpleasant for many, for sure,” he said in an interview.
Amid calls for change, Anderson noted that supporters of the current system can argue that majority governments offer stability without interruption or fear of early elections. He also noted the referendums on electoral reform that have been held in several Canadian provinces, including Ontario, which ended up maintaining the status quo.
In 2007, Ontarians voted against a proportional mixed-member voting system. This model – which the NDP campaigned on this occasion – seeks to give part of the stability of the first-round system to a fully proportionate government, with some lawmakers elected to local districts and others to party lists.
“Changing the system is not easy and is not a panacea,” Anderson said, adding that finding a compromise or agreement on a new system is a challenge when balancing the interests of citizens and political parties.
3 parties pledged to change the electoral system
Three of the four major parties pledged to change the province’s electoral system during the 2022 campaign. But Ford, while maintaining that his party received a clear mandate, ruled out the possibility the day after the election.
“I think this system has been working for over 100 years and some weird years. It will continue to work that way,” he told reporters.
The federal liberal government also promised – and failed to deliver – electoral reform.
During the 2015 campaign, Justin Trudeau said the federal election held that year would be the last to use the first-round method, a promise he would eventually deny.
Emmanuelle Richez, an associate professor of political science at the University of Windsor, said incumbent governments and elected officials generally have no political will to introduce difficult voting system reforms that could threaten their power.
He also highlighted the “lack of popular appetite for electoral reform”, despite the current discussion in Ontario, pointing to past referendums across the country.
“It’s a niche issue that is not a priority for most Ontarians,” he said of the concept.
“My prediction is that you will never see it in Canada.”