February 1, 2017 UPDATED 5:02pmET The government has abandoned its plan to change Canada’s electoral system for the 2019 election, according to a new mandate letter. Watch tonight’s PrimeTime Politics (8pm ET / 5pm PT) for full coverage.  Here’s the instruction from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to Democratic Institutions Minister Karina […]

October 26, 2016 4:25pmET In Canada, the special parliamentary committee on electoral reform is preparing to write its report. In Great Britain, voters rejected the Alternative Vote system of ranked ballots in a 2011 referendum. But efforts at changing the U.K.’s First Past the Post system continue, both inside and outside the […]

January 25, 2017 10:34amET The government has released the results of its online consultation on democratic reform and the voting process. Mmore than 380,000 people responded online or by telephone, according to the report made public late Tuesday. Among the highlights, according to the data provided: Canadians’ top priorities for […]

November 8, 2016 UPDATED 2:39pmET Proportional representation has emerged on top in Prince Edward Island’s non-binding plebiscite on electoral reform, though the premier has cast doubt on whether his government received a mandate for change. Multi-day voting ended yesterday with 36.5-per-cent turnout and four rounds of counting ranked ballots. Mixed […]

October 14, 2016 12:33pmET All-party consensus on the Special Committee on Electoral Reform won’t be possible without support for a referendum, according to the Conservative party. Scott Reid, the party’s democratic reform critic, said Conservatives have no official position on a specific alternative to Canada’s current First Past the Post system. […]

November 17, 2016 8:56amET New Democrats are open to including a referendum option in the final report of the Special Committee on Electoral Reform, if it leads to consensus among the parties, according to the NDP democratic reform critic. “We think the notion of this coming forward from the committee, hopefully […]

December 1, 2016 UPDATED 5:22pmET Canadians should have the referendum option to decide on shifting to proportional representation for federal elections, according to the Special Committee on Electoral Reform. However, there was not full consensus among the committee’s 12 MPs, with Liberals and the NDP/Greens adding supplementary reports. The Liberals […]

December 1, 2016 2:32pmET The Special Committee on Electoral Reform supports using the Gallagher Index to determine an acceptable proportional system as an alternative to Canada’s current First Past the Post system. What is the Gallagher Index? Developed by Irish political scientist Michael Gallagher (a committee witness during the summer), […]

December 1, 2016 5:31pmET Is a made-in-Canada proportional system possible that takes into account this country’s physical size and population density? Former chief electoral officer Jean-Pierre Kingsley proposed one solution to the Special Committee on Electoral Reform: group urban ridings into multi-member districts (four to five MPs) while maintaining single-member […]

October 7, 2016 10:15amET “Changes to the system must ensure the kind of inclusive politics that Canadians want. […] This means… strengthening representation by encouraging greater diversity in both the House of Commons and in politics more broadly.” -Democratic Institutions Minister Maryam Monsef (April 14, 2016) The government has listed […]

September 28, 2016 3:12pmET Parliament should consider weekend voting, a maximum campaign length, and a host of other measures to improve voter turnout and modernize the electoral system, according to the outgoing head of Elections Canada. Marc Mayrand, about to step down as chief electoral officer, filed his final post-election […]

UPDATED: September 27, 2016 11:35amET Should Canadians follow the lead of other countries that vote on the weekend? Elections Canada wants Parliament to consider the change. Here is what chief electoral officer Marc Mayrand argued in a Sept. 27 report to MPs: Australia, New Zealand and a number of European […]

Take a look at some key clips and arguments from the experts who appeared at the Special Committee on Electoral Reform in 2016. From the Experts: First Past the Post From the Experts: Proportional Representation From the Experts: Referendum From the Experts: Choosing a System From the Experts: Timeline for Reform From the Experts: The […]

Other countries have also used the referendum when considering electoral reform in recent years:   ►NEW ZEALAND New Zealand successfully changed its electoral system in 1993 after a two-stage referendum process. Reacting to a series of lopsided majority governments under the FPTP system, the National party government asked voters in 1992 […]

All kinds of voting systems are used for legislatures around the world — even if the elections themselves aren’t always democratic. Several countries have the same First-Past-the-Post, winner-take-all system as Canada, the United Kingdom, and United States. Proportional representation with party lists is also a popular option, especially in Europe and South America. […]

After years of failed bills and motions on the topic, MPs were asked to study Canada’s electoral system and possible alternatives to First Past the Post. The committee considers proportional representation, ranked ballots, and multi-member ridings. But in the end, MPs sided with the status quo. Full-Screen View -Compiled by Andrew […]

The 2016 Special Committee on Electoral Reform wasn’t the first group of Canadian politicians to consider our voting system.  The record stretches back nearly a century, to the post-First World War years that saw new political parties disrupt the traditional Liberal-Conservative race for power.   Read the transcripts and browse […]

The House of Commons approved a committee to examine voting reform in April 1921. MPs would recommend the Alternative Vote (AV) system for federal elections. Full-Screen View -Compiled by Andrew Thomson

While studying various aspects of Canada’s voting system, MPs hear from a political scientist about issues with First Past the Post. Full-Screen View -Compiled by Andrew Thomson

A special committee of Ontario MPPs meets in the early 1920s to consider voting reform. They call for a test run with proportional representation in certain ridings, to no avail. Full-Screen View -Compiled by Andrew Thomson

Should the Supreme Court of Canada provide a reference on electoral reform? Will Canada’s constitution be a factor? Canada’s constitution defines the rules for setting electoral boundaries, the provincial proportionality of seats, and the equality of each vote. Along with the Charter’s Section 3 guarantee of the right to vote: […]

Three provinces have recently put new voting systems to the people for approval, but there’s no guarantee of a referendum for proposed changes to our federal system. READ MORE: Referenda in New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and Ireland ►SHOULD WE VOTE? The Trudeau government has argued public consultation could make a referendum […]

Here are written briefs from academic experts for the Special Committee on Electoral Reform. Most have also testified in person:   Brief: Paul Thomas (July 18) Brief: Michael Gallagher and Michael Marsh (July 26) Brief: Peter Russell (July 26) Brief: Patrice Dutil (July 26) Brief: New Zealand Electoral Commission (July 26) […]

How did electoral reform become a political issue in 2016?   ► THE PROMISE   The Liberal campaign platform pledged an end to first-past-the-post federal elections — and legislation by spring 2017. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has spoken favourably in the past about preferential ballots (also known as Alternative Vote). Australia […]

The Special Committee on Electoral Reform met for the first time in June 2016, charged with examining alternative voting systems, mandatory voting, and online voting.    Sitting around the table were five Liberals, three Conservatives, two New Democrats, one Green, and one Bloc Québécois member. They have until Dec. 1 to submit their […]

Looking for more comprehensive material on electoral reform? Browse below for research, legislation, video and more!   Get Started:   Eugene Forsey in How Canadians Govern Themselves: “We are apt to think of government as something static; as a machine that was built and finished long ago. Actually, since our democratic […]

July 19, 2016 1:34pmET While federal politicians and Canadians consider voting reform for the House of Commons, Prince Edward Island will hold a second vote on the subject this autumn.   The non-binding plebiscite, scheduled for late October and early November, offers five options to the province’s voters, who currently elect 27 […]

Here’s what the experts told MPs about proportional representation when called before the Special Committee on Electoral Reform: