As we bid 2016 adieu, the fate of the Canadian government’s promise to Make Every Vote Count seems to have devolved into a game of ‘rock, paper, scissors’ between the government and voters. Things were going along swimmingly for PR activists, right up until the moment when the ERRE committee delivered its report, recommending Proportional Representation, on December 1, 2016. However, to the astonishment of PR advocates and the general public, Maryam Monsef, Minister of Democratic Institutions, almost immediately declared the ERRE report confusing and inconclusive. Monsef responded by producing her own confusing and inconclusive survey, ostensibly to help voters discover ‘What type of Democratic Personality am I?’, although some speculate that the survey might more aptly be titled, ‘What Color is Maryam’s Parachute?’ as the Minister seems to be seeking a way out of her boss’s promise to institute reforms based on the directives of the ERRE report.
Fair Vote Canada and Leadnow recommend that Canadians fill out the MyDemocracy ‘survey’ nonetheless, with reference to FVC’s guidelines (includes link to the survey itself), in order to hold the government to its promise and underscore that we do indeed want Proportional Representation.
CUSJ first became involved in the PR movement back in 2015, when it passed a PR motion at its AGM. We also provided activists with a CUSJ Lobby Kit and encouraged them to visit their MPs to express their desire for electoral reform, which we like to think played a part in the Liberals’ campaign promise to make 2015 the last first-past-the-post elections in Canada, and the subsequent ERRE consultations and report. The political game continues in 2017…