The three parties with the fewest seats want a system that gives them more of a voice.
There’s no doubt in most people’s minds that proportional representation is superior to fptp.
Effecting that change may never happen when:
a) the parties who benefit most from fptp are the parties who can change it
b) the party elected to change it reneges on its promise
Your analysis captures the systemic challenge perfectly. The issue isn’t just about party self-interest, but a fundamental democratic deficit.
When the Liberals and Conservatives benefit from First-Past-the-Post (FPTP), they have zero incentive to implement proportional representation (PR). This isn’t just political strategy - it’s actively undermining democratic principles.
Trudeau’s 2015 promise is the quintessential example. The Liberals campaigned on making “every vote count” and promised 2015 would be the last election under FPTP. When it became clear PR would dilute their power, they abandoned the entire electoral reform process.
The core problem is that our current system allows a minority of votes to translate into majority governance. In the 2021 federal election, for instance, we saw a government formed with significantly less than 50% of the popular vote.
What’s most frustrating is that implementing PR isn’t technically difficult. We’ve seen successful models in countries like Ireland (STV) and New Zealand (MMP). The barriers are purely political - those in power protecting their own interests rather than serving democratic ideals.
Ultimately, this isn’t about helping smaller parties “get more seats”. It’s about ensuring every citizen’s vote meaningfully contributes to representation. That’s the fundamental promise of democracy - and of Canada.
Can you expand more on that point?
The three parties with the fewest seats want a system that gives them more of a voice.
There’s no doubt in most people’s minds that proportional representation is superior to fptp.
Effecting that change may never happen when:
a) the parties who benefit most from fptp are the parties who can change it
b) the party elected to change it reneges on its promise
Your analysis captures the systemic challenge perfectly. The issue isn’t just about party self-interest, but a fundamental democratic deficit.
When the Liberals and Conservatives benefit from First-Past-the-Post (FPTP), they have zero incentive to implement proportional representation (PR). This isn’t just political strategy - it’s actively undermining democratic principles.
Trudeau’s 2015 promise is the quintessential example. The Liberals campaigned on making “every vote count” and promised 2015 would be the last election under FPTP. When it became clear PR would dilute their power, they abandoned the entire electoral reform process.
The core problem is that our current system allows a minority of votes to translate into majority governance. In the 2021 federal election, for instance, we saw a government formed with significantly less than 50% of the popular vote.
What’s most frustrating is that implementing PR isn’t technically difficult. We’ve seen successful models in countries like Ireland (STV) and New Zealand (MMP). The barriers are purely political - those in power protecting their own interests rather than serving democratic ideals.
Ultimately, this isn’t about helping smaller parties “get more seats”. It’s about ensuring every citizen’s vote meaningfully contributes to representation. That’s the fundamental promise of democracy - and of Canada.