Electoral System
Canadians voters need a fair electoral system, which is Proportional Representation.
Elections are one of the most important factors in democracy; one-person one vote. The voting system is the heart of the representative. This system is what citizens use to create democratic government. Thus, if the voting system does not consider what the voters say, government will not be properly accountable and democracy will then be comprised. This is the core problem in the Canadian political system and our electoral system does not do justice to the Canadian voters. The system does not represent the people, most votes are wasted because in this current system not every vote counts; Canada’s current voting system is based on the winning-take-all principle. It is a system of winners and losers. Where in each riding, one group of voters get to send a Member of Parliament to Parliament, and the party with most seats is asked by the govern general to form a government. The party with second most seats in the House of Commons becomes the opposition. All the other voters in the riding lose. Thus, if you do not support the most popular party in your riding, your vote is ineffective and wasted. As Elections Canada said, the Single Member Plurality system used in all Canadian federal and provincial elections has much strength but also reveals serious weaknesses in producing legislatures that reflect the choice of parties made by the voters. In addition, recent Canadian elections have witnessed a significant fall in voter turnout, which some say indicates that structural changes are needed in order to encourage greater participation. The Single member plurality system clearly does not reflect the concerns of Canadian voters to the point where Canadians do not even bother to vote anymore because their problems and voices are not heard. Proportional Representation would be the best electoral system for Canada because; it produces a legislature that is representative of the views of
Elections are one of the most important factors in democracy; one-person one vote. The voting system is the heart of the representative. This system is what citizens use to create democratic government. Thus, if the voting system does not consider what the voters say, government will not be properly accountable and democracy will then be comprised. This is the core problem in the Canadian political system and our electoral system does not do justice to the Canadian voters. The system does not represent the people, most votes are wasted because in this current system not every vote counts; Canada’s current voting system is based on the winning-take-all principle. It is a system of winners and losers. Where in each riding, one group of voters get to send a Member of Parliament to Parliament, and the party with most seats is asked by the govern general to form a government. The party with second most seats in the House of Commons becomes the opposition. All the other voters in the riding lose. Thus, if you do not support the most popular party in your riding, your vote is ineffective and wasted. As Elections Canada said, the Single Member Plurality system used in all Canadian federal and provincial elections has much strength but also reveals serious weaknesses in producing legislatures that reflect the choice of parties made by the voters. In addition, recent Canadian elections have witnessed a significant fall in voter turnout, which some say indicates that structural changes are needed in order to encourage greater participation. The Single member plurality system clearly does not reflect the concerns of Canadian voters to the point where Canadians do not even bother to vote anymore because their problems and voices are not heard. Proportional Representation would be the best electoral system for Canada because; it produces a legislature that is representative of the views of