Ask-The-Contestants!

In 2006, I did not call for eliminating First Past the Post because I was leader of the Green Party. It is the other way round! One of the reasons I was drawn to the Greens was the party’s strong commitment to Proportional Representation.

In 2008, as the first Green in the televised leaders’ debate, I was asked what was the first thing I would do as Prime Minister. My answer: Eliminate the perverse voting system and replace it with fair voting. I was surprised by criticism that this was merely self-serving, as though unfair voting was good for democracy; as though Greens only favoured fair voting for our own partisan advantage.

I worked to advance public education and awareness of the reasons for fair voting. The purpose of my 2009 book, “Losing Confidence: Power, Politics and the Crisis in Canadian Democracy” (McClelland and Stewart) was largely to build support for PR.

In 2015, we felt the time had come at last with Trudeau’s promise to “make 2015 the last election held under First Past the Post.” Many Liberal MPs won on that pledge. As a member of the Special Committee on Electoral Reform, I worked tirelessly (actually I was pretty tired!) to achieve a majority report calling for PR. (https://www.cpac.ca/episode?id=e22f514f-d2c5-461e-a9fa-94700914ab2b) We were optimistic we had given the government all the evidence needed. My TedX Talk explained what the committee had found. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YAfpydn_nVY

Within days of the report, at our GPC December 2016 Special General Meeting, we adopted by consensus our preferred option - Mixed Member Proportional. Trudeau’s February 2017 cynical betrayal of the promise was deeply shocking.

Coming so close only to have the promise withdrawn was heart-breaking.

So what is our plan?

We need to fight the next election on climate and democracy. We need to remember the ERRE evidence from one of Canada’s most respected political scientists, Prof Peter Russell. Asked what harm had ever been done by FPTP, Prof Russell pointed to the backward slide in climate action when Harper formed government and canceled Kyoto.

We must run a disciplined campaign rejecting so-called “strategic” voting to keep Poilievre out. We need clear and compelling and often-repeated messaging that Green votes are most effective in denying Liberals or Conservatives a false majority government. We need to make the case for parliamentary cooperation following the election – not allowing “strategic” voting to drive votes to Liberals and NDP. We must make the case that voting Green and increasing Green seats is the surest way to deliver a minority parliament. With Greens holding the balance of responsibility, we will ensure no party will get our support without real action for climate and democracy. We can, ten years late, ensure 2025 will be the last Canadian election under FPTP.