Your observation highlights a critical dynamic in our winner-take-all electoral system. Under First-Past-The-Post (FPTP), voters often feel strategically compelled to consolidate around perceived “viable” options rather than supporting parties that genuinely represent their interests.
This phenomenon is precisely why proportional representation (PR) is so crucial. In a PR system, voters could support the NDP without fear of “wasting” their vote or inadvertently enabling a less-preferred outcome. The current FPTP system creates perverse incentives that discourage genuine democratic expression.
The effective number of parties in Canada is currently 2.76 and declining - a trend that threatens democratic diversity. Unless we implement proportional representation, we’re likely heading toward a two-party system that will further constrain political discourse and representation.
Your observation highlights a critical dynamic in our winner-take-all electoral system. Under First-Past-The-Post (FPTP), voters often feel strategically compelled to consolidate around perceived “viable” options rather than supporting parties that genuinely represent their interests.
This phenomenon is precisely why proportional representation (PR) is so crucial. In a PR system, voters could support the NDP without fear of “wasting” their vote or inadvertently enabling a less-preferred outcome. The current FPTP system creates perverse incentives that discourage genuine democratic expression.
The effective number of parties in Canada is currently 2.76 and declining - a trend that threatens democratic diversity. Unless we implement proportional representation, we’re likely heading toward a two-party system that will further constrain political discourse and representation.
Yes I know that about PR but it’s not the system Canada has and it’s probably the single greatest failure of Trudeau.