Canada’s Party Dominated System Is In Desperate Need Of Electoral Reform

By Will MacKenzie

As an observer of politicians and politics for the past 47 years, I have come to the conclusion that in order to bring about political reform in this country, we must start with electoral reform.

Ballots should have a space for “none of the above.”

The various political parties are too entrenched in their ways and ideology to change to meet the needs of the citizens of today.

The political parties will not change unless forced to. All one needs to do is look at the federal Liberal party and one can see the intense reluctance to change.

While I have not fully fleshed out all my thoughts on the subject of electoral change, one thing is certain. The last attempt was doomed to failure from the start because it was developed by politicians and the main effect of the proposed changes was to put more power in the hands of the political parties, not in the hands of the voters.

This subject is too important to be left up to politicians. It must come from the people of Canada. The changes will have to be supported by the majority and must not be hijacked by the political parties.

I am not suggesting that political parties be banned. I am hoping and firmly believe that change will force the political parties and politicians to actually really listen to what their constituents – ALL their constituents – want.

The first change involves changing the way we vote. At present, the ballot in each riding includes the names and party affiliations of all candidates. I propose adding an additional space on the ballot. That space would read “none of the above.”

If the majority of voters in that riding choose “none of the above” a by-election MUST be held within 30 calendar days. None of the original candidates would be permitted to run again. If that second round of voting results in another “none of the above” majority, there must be another by-election within 21 calendar days. The political parties would be banned from ANY advertising during that period. If it is found that a fourth round of voting is required, the two highest grossing candidates will be declared joint winners – and each will serve alternately for periods of six months on a rotating basis. They must share the stipend normally paid to an MP, MPP, MLA, MNA, MHA etc.

Each member of Parliament or provincial legislature must vote their conscience, not the “party line” when it comes to votes in the respective house. On certain key issues, such as the budget, the governing party would only be able to propose a straightforward motion requesting approval for the basic funding to keep the country operating. If, in the process of presenting their budget they want to change other legislation, that would have to be done on a bill-by-bill (or law-by-law) basis. So-called “omnibus” bills, such as the Harper government used to push through their budget and gut environmental laws in the same process would not be permitted.

If the voters in a particular riding are unhappy with their elected representative, they would have the option of proposing a “re-call” vote. This would require a petition signed by at least 15 per cent of the eligible voters in that riding. A special electoral commission or board would have 30 days to verify the signatures on the petition, with any byelection being held 30 days after the announcement of the verification. The intent here is to prevent legal chicanery on the part of any political party to delay or thwart the wishes of the voters.

There must also be limits on how long one can serve as an elected representative. Too many politicians today are what I call “professional politicians.” They go to law school to get a law degree but never practice law. They want to become politicians for life. I am open to suggestions on how long one can serve – two or three terms of four years might be enough.

I am open to further suggestions and ideas that may help improve our current system.

I know some politicians and political parties have expressed unhappiness with the current “first past the post” system and/or with the number of voters that a particular must represent.

There is no way in a country as vast as Canada that all ridings can have the same number of voters. If one were to say that an MP should only have to represent 100,000 voters, it would put an unfair strain on an MP serving a rural or remote area. There are areas in major cities such as Toronto, Montreal or Vancouver where you can find 100,000 in a few square kilometres. The MP from one of those ridings can service voters quite comfortably. But an MP from a northern Ontario riding, or any other northern riding can have to cover thousands of square kilometres to visit constituents. That type of system would also put too much power in the hands of the larger urban communities.

I am putting these ideas forward in the hope that they will generate discussion and comment. To some people, these may be “off-the-wall” and so be it. On the other hand, I don’t think too many people are fully happy with the way politics is being practised in Canada today. It is too much about the party and ideology, and not enough about the needs and aspirations of individual citizens.

Will MacKenzie is a contributor of numerous comments to Niagara At Large and is a retired journalist and communications officer.

(Niagara At Large invites you to share your comments on this post. Please remember that NAL only posts comments by people who are also willing to share their first and last name.)