Fair Vote Campaign Launched - Ontario Referendum Oct. 10th

Have you ever been frustrated at election time because your vote will count for nothing? Do you feel that the representation in government should more accurately reflect the wishes of Canadian voters? On Oct. 10th, you will have the opportunity to cast a vote in a referendum on electoral reform in Ontario. If Ontarians vote Yes, we’ll be the first jurisdiction in Canada to adopt a Mixed Member Proportional Representation (MMP) system proposed by the Ontario Citizens Assembly. In future elections you’ll be able to cast two votes, one for a riding candidate and one for a party. A third of the seats will be filled according to the proportion of votes for a party and each party will post their list of candidates for proportional seats. You’ll still have MPP’s accountable to constituents and you will be assured of a vote that matters. This is an exciting and refreshing time for democracy in Ontario.

Here are some good reasons to change the electoral system so that it represents your vote. Currently, the Liberals hold roughly 70% of the seats at Queen’s Park with just 46% of the vote. Conservatives have only 24 of the 103 seats with 34% of the vote. If you’re an NDP voter, you’ll be frustrated to find that your party holds half the amount of seats the proportion of the vote suggests they should have. If you’re a Green party supporter, you’ll worry that though your party is polling at 10% in Ontario and still may not win a seat. On the federal front, Liberal voters in Alberta must wonder what happened to their votes, with Conservatives taking every single seat.

Our first-past-the post system undeniably favours the winning party. Not surprisingly, parties holding power have been reluctant to change to a system that would make voting more fair. This may be short-sighted. At one time or another, in federal or provincial politics, everyone has felt the pain of lopsided representation and the arrogance of a government that doesn’t quite deserve the power they hold. Women, First Nations, disabled and minority candidates are under-represented in government compared to the composition of our province, and MMP improves this picture. Mixed Member Proportional representation systems are successful in many modern democracies around the world such as the Scottish Parliament in the UK, New Zealand and Germany. If Ontario succeeds, this could be the model for better democracy in Canada.

The campaign for electoral reform is a multi-partisan initiative supported by the likes of Lloyd Axworthy, respected former Liberal foreign affairs minister, Hugh Segal, public policy guru and former Chief of Staff for Brian Mulroney and ethical Ed Broadbent of the NDP! Here in the provincial riding of Lanark Frontenac Lennox and Addington, we’re inviting all citizens to join a multi-partisan campaign to vote Yes in the October referendum on electoral reform. If you want to join the Yes campaign, let us know!

Arif Jinha
Carleton Place

Contacts
Arif Jinha Fair Vote Yes Campaign co-captain North LFL&A
donna.arif@rogers.com 613-889-7506
Hugh Jenney Fair Vote co-captain South LFL&A
hcjenney@hotmail.com 613-384-7830.