Parliament doesn’t reflect how Canadians voted
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 18/05/2011 (5429 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
The election campaign is over, votes have been cast and counted and once again the Parliament of Canada does not accurately reflect the will of the more than 14.7 million citizens who cast ballots.
On May 2, 39.6 per cent of votes chose the Conservative Party to best represent their attitudes and values. This entitles them to 122 of the 308 seats in the House of Commons, yet they ended up with 167 seats. The NDP vote, 30.6 per cent of the ballots cast, entitles them to 94 seats, yet they ended up with 102 seats.
The Liberal vote, 18.9 percent, entitled them to 58 seats, yet they ended up with only 34 seats. The BQ, with six per cent of the votes cast, is entitled to 18 seats, yet were awarded only four seats.
The Green Party received 3.9 per cent of all votes cast earning them 12 seats, but were awarded only one seat.
There is a fundamental unfairness about the way election results are transferred into representation in the House of Commons.
The essence of a democratic government is that it truly reflects the will of the people.
The Parliament of Canada does not. The current system of “first past the post” originated in England in the 1800s to reform the electoral process. This system is still in use in Canada, with the above results.
Proportional representation, a system used by most developed countries, would best serve Canadian voters as well, since this system yields the most just reflection of the wishes of the people.
The majority of Canadians did not choose the Conservative Party to represent them. Parties receiving the most votes are highly over represented and minor parties are drastically under represented.
“First past the post” might be great for horse races, but it is not good for democracy.
LEN ERNST
Carberry