Section 3 – Policy Initiatives & 2025 Deliverables
11. Democratic and Electoral Reform
The Parties will work together to create a special legislative all-party committee to evaluate and recommend policy and legislation measures to be pursued beginning in 2026 to increase democratic engagement & voter participation, address increasing political polarization, and improve the representativeness of government. The committee will review and consider preferred methods of proportional representation as part of its deliberations. The Government will work with the BCGC to establish the detailed terms of reference for this review, which are subject to the approval of both parties. The terms of reference will include the ability to receive expert and public input, provide for completion of the Special Committee’s work in Summer 2025, and public release of the Committee’s report within 45 days of completion. The committee will also review the administration of the 43rd provincial general election, including consideration of the Chief Electoral Officer’s report on the 43rd provincial general election, and make recommendations for future elections.
Claiming that choosing large swathes of Europe is my cherry picking is pretty silly.
And you are misunderstanding the point of those examples. It is not just dangerous how close some of these hard right groups are to power, the fact these groups are so popular is in itself worrying.
It is not a sign of a healthy democracy when people are so angry and desperate they give Kickl 29% of the vote. It is a deeply worrying sign when some 20% of Germans are voting for dog whistle neo Nazi party (Alice fur Deutschland is about as blatant as it gets, there’s not a German who doesn’t know the Nazi slogan was Alles fur Deutschland.
Yes, those democracies are struggling through and bending into contortions to keep functional, non extremist governments working. But this is a sign of Democratic strength in the same sense that coughing up blood is a sign your body is keeping the blood out of your lungs, it’s true but it is also a sign that something is seriously wrong.
A system can be great in theory or in different circumstances. But the reality of the moment and the real world evidence suggests we are very lucky to have avoided PR and would do well to continue to do so. We don’t have a Wilders, Weidel or Kickl for a reason.
You blithely assume that more voices at the table or more better representation etc leads to better outcomes but what’s the proof? You even mentiom Brexit but either don’t know or comveniently forget that it was passed with a majority support in a referendum. For crazy but very representative outcomes, look South to California which loves ballot referendums, which are as pure a democratic option as possible. If you’ve read about the LA fires, you already know that insurance companies have been unable to accurately price the risk of fores because of a referendum preventing insurance companies from raising rates, popular but insane policy.
FPTP and our elected dictatorship creates a balance between the ability of government to pass significant legislation while also being accountable to voters. The real world examples of PR are horrific. It’s really not that complicated.
I find it nonsensical how you keep cherrypicking examples while completely missing the point of what an electoral system is supposed to do.
You’re saying “more democracy is a bonus” like it’s some nice little perk rather than the entire purpose of elections! This perfectly illustrates our fundamental disagreement. I believe democracy exists to represent people’s views. You seem to think it’s primarily about producing governments you personally consider “effective” - even if they ignore what most citizens actually want.
I’m not blind to the challenges in Europe. But you’re deliberately ignoring how PR is working exactly as designed in these cases. Take Germany - yes, the AfD has support, and that’s disturbing. But PR ensures they get seats proportional to their actual support while preventing them from gaining disproportionate power. Unlike FPTP systems where extremists capture entire parties from within (hello, MAGA movement!).
And honestly, I find it pretty ironic that you’re so worried about extremism when our FPTP system regularly produces governments opposed by the majority of citizens. The Ontario PCs are implementing policies that 57% of voters rejected! That’s a minority strangling the majority - exactly the kind of governance that breeds extremism and discontent.
You mention those “groovy kids” you care about. Have you actually asked what they want? Polls consistently show younger generations overwhelmingly support electoral reform. They want a system where their votes matter, where every voice counts.
You know what doesn’t serve future generations? A system that’s completely failed to address climate change, housing affordability, and economic inequality - the exact issues they care most about. Nine years of Liberal promises on housing with minimal action until the crisis became catastrophic isn’t “effectiveness” - it’s failure.
And let’s talk about rural Ontario. In Hastings-Lennox and Addington, over 51% of voters had NO representation whatsoever. Their votes literally counted for nothing. I’ve shared this statistic before but you keep ignoring it. How can you justify a system that systematically discards millions of votes in every election?
You know what’s actually not healthy for a democracy? When people feel their votes don’t matter. When they see governments implementing policies most citizens reject. When they watch the same neglected problems fester for decades because the system incentivizes short-term thinking and polarization over consensus-building.
I care deeply about this country too, and that’s exactly why I’m fighting for a system where every vote counts. Where parties have to build genuine consensus instead of appealing to narrow slices of swing ridings. Where we can finally tackle the long-term challenges we face instead of lurching from one crisis to the next.
These “turbulent times” demand more democracy, not less. More voices at the table. More genuine consensus. That’s what PR delivers, and what we all deserve.
Pray tell, what criteria would you use that somehow excludes our G7 PR system peers but is also not cherry-picking? Like, PR only (but not always!) counts in countries that have an imminent threat of Russian to their East?
Not that it’s been demonstrated I’ve been cherry picking in the first place. Both people doing something wrong doesn’t make it ok. Yet another example of lazy intellectual discussion from the FPTP camp.
Your shorter responses are telling me that perhaps you don’t actually don’t “care” enough about the country to defend FPTP. Because you would have full and properly thought out responses to make counter points and defend your position. Readers of this thread will decide, I suppose. I’ll be using this as the most extensive example of how out of touch the FPTP camp is.
Reiterating a number of points, your concern about far-right parties in Europe fundamentally misunderstands the purpose of electoral systems. These systems don’t create extremism - they reveal it. Under PR, we see exactly how much support extremist views actually have. Under FPTP, that extremism still exists but remains hidden until it captures an entire mainstream party, as we’ve seen repeatedly in the US with MAGA and even in Canada with elements of the CPC’s current direction.
You’ve completely ignored my point about how FPTP produces governments that implement policies opposed by the majority of citizens. In Ontario, the PCs hold a “majority” with just 43% of the vote. How can you justify a system where 57% of voters explicitly rejected the governing party? That creates precisely the kind of democratic deficit that feeds extremism.
Your Brexit example actually undermines your argument. The referendum was a direct democracy mechanism that bypassed representative systems entirely. It has nothing to do with PR versus FPTP. And California’s referendum system is similarly irrelevant to our discussion about representative democracy structures.
You claim FPTP creates accountability, but our experience demonstrates the opposite. The Liberals campaigned on housing affordability in 2015 and failed to make meaningful progress for nine years while the crisis exploded. Yet they remained in power because FPTP distorts voter preferences. That’s not accountability - it’s systematic failure.
Most telling is how you describe FPTP as an “elected dictatorship” as if that’s a positive feature! That perfectly captures what’s wrong with your perspective. Democracy isn’t supposed to be a temporary dictatorship - it’s supposed to be representative governance where every citizen’s voice matters in proportion to its numbers.
The countries you cite as PR failures are functioning democracies where extremist parties gain representation proportional to their actual support, while being effectively contained through coalition dynamics. Compare this to the US where extremism now controls an entire major party with unchecked power when they win.
Democracy matters. Representation matters. Every vote should count.
What on Earth are you trying to say? Again, the question was pretty simple, how are my examples cherry picking? If we want to look at examples of how PR is playing out, the G7, the group to which we commonly compare Canada, seems a good choice. You just don’t like it because they aren’t great for your side. What example countries do you think would make a good comparison and why are they better than our G7 pals who use PR?
Your overabundance of free time doesn’t compel me. I recommend going outside, enjoying a pleasant walk, maybe phoning a friend etc. It’ll do you good.
Variations on “more representation is good!” isn’t a new point, no one is arguing about this.
I thought you didn’t like direct democracy because it wasn’t practical. Is your position actually you want all peoples voices heard but ONLY filtered through representatives? You demand we listen to all the people but they can’t be trusted enough to answer a question directly? This is a very silly position.
Not only do I already do your recommendations (of my own volition), I’m out here campaigning for democracy and Canadians. You just can’t say the same.
I’m glad you’re being transparent, and just plainly saying how little people, their agency and democracy matters to you. You’ve become the very extremist that you despise.
How is this direct democracy? A direct democracy means this would allow all citizens to vote directly on all legislation. Selective direct democracy wasn’t in the scope of discussion for electoral systems. I know you love to distort arguments so it looks like you’re countering the point, when it’s just intellectually lazy, and anyone reading would know it. Please continue to show how out of touch you are.
My position is that FPTP is undemocratic because it systematically discards millions of perfectly valid votes. Whereas being Canadian means supporting democracy, including a fundamental principle of democracy: proportionate representation.
The Brexit referendum is completely irrelevant to our discussion about electoral systems. It wasn’t about how representatives are elected - it was a one-off policy decision put directly to voters. You’re conflating completely different democratic mechanisms to avoid addressing the actual failures of FPTP.
You keep avoiding the central issue: In Ontario, the PCs govern with a “majority” despite 57% of voters explicitly rejecting them. How is this legitimate democratic representation? You call FPTP an “elected dictatorship” as if that’s a positive feature rather than a profound democratic failure.
Your cherry-picking of European examples continues to miss the point. The purpose of an electoral system isn’t to prevent certain ideologies from gaining representation - it’s to ensure accurate representation of how citizens actually vote. If you’re concerned about extremism, address the cultural and social factors creating it, rather than trying to silence it through electoral manipulation.
As for your claim that I don’t care about outcomes - I care deeply about outcomes. That’s exactly why I support PR. Countries with PR systems consistently outperform FPTP countries on measures of economic equality, social welfare, environmental protection, and democratic satisfaction. The Nordic countries, Germany, and New Zealand all demonstrate how PR produces stable, effective governance with policies that enjoy genuine majority support.
The mathematical reality remains undeniable: FPTP systematically fails to represent millions of citizens in every election. No amount of handwaving about “efficiency” changes this fundamental democratic deficit. If democracy means anything, it must mean that every citizen’s vote contributes meaningfully to representation. Only PR delivers this basic democratic principle. A basic democratic principle that you not only don’t understand, but fail to recognize as being fundamentally critical for good outcomes for its citizens.
You dismiss all arguments for “more democracy” because you, and only you, think it’s like some nice little perk rather than the entire purpose of elections.
That’s one perspective but I disagree. Electoral systems and rules exist so that people can elect a government, the purpose of which is to help the people. The primary goal of a government is the welfare of its people.
If your electoral system consistently produces **bad **outcomes, that’s a **bad **thing.
When we look to peer nations, like our compatriots in the G7 who use PR or all across Europe, you see bad outcomes happening.
It takes a insane reading of the situation to say a system wherein Kickl is polling about where our Canadian Conservative party polls, is producing good outcomes. You know this intrinsically, it’s why you go into histrionics when I point out countries like all the examples already listed.
It’s worked in some places, is producing deeply disturbing outcomes in others. You haven’t outlined why the Nordic countries are doing well under PR vs all the counter examples, you’ve just whined that it’s not fair to use fairly reasonable comparisons bizzarely claimed that 1/5 Germans voting for an acitve neo Nazi party is somehow a good sign.
Pretty simple stuff.
lol
Yes, please keep showing how the no-PR camp is out of touch with reality. You’re trying to corrupt a democratic tool into your own personal elect your preferred ideology mechanism. In which FPTP does not do particularly well.
What good is a government that enacts policies that hurt its people? And no electoral system can filter out ideologies that only you oppose.
I agree, and PR forces government to cater to its citizens. The primary goal of electoral systems is to ensure accurate representation. You’re conflating the purpose of government with the purpose of electoral systems. Electoral systems are the democratic mechanism through which citizens select their representatives – they aren’t meant to filter out particular ideologies.
Your definition of “bad outcomes” is entirely subjective and ideological. What you’re really saying is “I don’t like the representatives some voters choose.” This is fundamentally anti-democratic, and anti-Canadian. The purpose of elections isn’t to produce governments you personally approve of – it’s to accurately represent the will of the people.
This cherry-picking again? For every example you cite, there are PR systems producing excellent outcomes. The Nordic countries consistently rank at the top of nearly every measure of good governance, economic equality, and social welfare – all with PR systems. New Zealand transitioned to MMP and has seen stable, effective governance. You conveniently ignore these examples because they contradict your narrative.
The electoral system didn’t create Kickl’s support – it merely reveals it. What’s “insane” is thinking that hiding extremist views through electoral manipulation is better than confronting them directly. FPTP doesn’t eliminate extremism; it masks it until it captures an entire mainstream party – as we’ve seen with MAGA in the US.
Actually, I have – multiple times. The difference is in the broader political culture, democratic traditions, and social cohesion. Electoral systems don’t create extremism; they reflect the societies they operate in. Your entire argument boils down to “I don’t like what some voters choose, so let’s use a system that silences them.” That’s not democracy – it’s electoral engineering to produce outcomes you prefer. And this sinister engineering is disenfranchising millions of “groovy kids” - who you supposedly care about.
I stand for the principle that in a democracy, citizens are deserving of and entitled to representation in government. Only proportional representation can consistently deliver this fundamental democratic right. Your position continues to prioritize subjective outcomes over democratic principles, which is precisely why PR advocates will ultimately prevail – because democracy itself is on our side.
Did you literally stop reading after the first sentence?
Here we differ. I will loudly declare that I believe racist, hateful or Nazi adjacent parties are Bad things. I did not think that was a contentious point, but here we are.
What’s the proof? Do you really believe some 30% of Canadians would vote for similar groups and we’re just masking that now? Or just huge percentages of Italians, Austrians, Germans, Dutch, Polish etc are fairly hateful? Rather than say, things have gotten really bad and people are looking for extreme measures?
Maybe this is it. To me, 50/50 is a pretty fucking terrible offer here. Like, hey, we can make your vote marginally better but there’s a 50/50 chance Canada gets a bunch of extreme right politics to deal with going forward.
I think that offer makes Canada a much worse place for many vulnerable people.
Edit: formattings and the grammars