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Canadian Electoral Reform

            Government efficiency is dependent on the capacity of the government to make decisions that mirror the views of the majority. This would require municipal representatives to be elected by at least half of the voters. This has not been the case in Canada. Electoral reform has been a highly debated issue throughout Canadian politics. Currently, Canada's electoral system is being questioned for its inability to reflect the political views of its citizens. The single member plurality system (SMP), which Canada employs to fabricate a democratic election, can cause representatives to be elected without the majority of the popular vote. In contrast, the system of proportional representation eliminates an inequity in parliament composition by ensuring representation from every party that received votes. Although this system would inevitably result in minority governments, it would appropriately cater to the views of the constituents. To produce a more effective government, Canada's single member plurality electoral system should be replaced by a system of proportional representation (PR).
             Canada's current single member plurality electoral system is often described as a "first past the post " system. The way in which this system functions is that each voter is allowed one vote and the candidate with the most votes (or a plurality) becomes elected. Proportional representation, on the other hand, can be accomplished through a multitude of electoral methods. But for the sake of convenience, we will focus primarily on the two most notable systems: party list system, and mixed member proportional. The party list system used to achieve PR relies on the voter to choose the party they wish to support as opposed to the actual candidate. Once the votes are counted, seats are allocated in proportion to the number of votes the party received. If the party wins 30% of the popular vote, they will be awarded 30% of the seats available.


Essays Related to Canadian Electoral Reform

1. A Guide to the Canadian Government

" Reforming the government is also a major part of the Canadian government. ... A people known, the fundamental goal of elections and electoral reform isn't to serve the needs of political parties. Rather, the goal of elections and electoral reform is to give citizens a voice in choosing their government. ... " The main focus of electoral reform is and ought to be, not the political party, rather the voter. ... These electoral districts are revised and drawn up by independent electoral boundaries commissions. ...

  • Word Count: 1828
  • Approx Pages: 7

2. Proportional Representation

The electoral system adopted by Canada is based on " first-past-the-post." ... Many believe that the current electoral system is flawed. Therefore, a call for election reform has been heard in Canada. ... Proportional representation is one of many possible solutions to the call for election reform by Canadians. Nevertheless, I do not believe that it would be an appropriate solution for Canada's electoral woes. 3. ...

  • Word Count: 2270
  • Approx Pages: 9
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

3. Social Movements And Political

However, because the traditional Canadian political parties, the Liberals and Conservatives, have constantly changed their ideological principles to suite their electoral purposes, the Canadian party system has evolved into a brokerage system. ... The movement's acceptance of established parties and the electoral process helped foster the idea that change would be impossible without integration into the already established parties. ... These early initiatives helped the movement realize that the willingness of the Liberal governments to deal with their issues meant that reform by the st...

  • Word Count: 1990
  • Approx Pages: 8
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

4. social movements and political

However, because the traditional Canadian political parties, the Liberals and Conservatives, have constantly changed their ideological principles to suite their electoral purposes, the Canadian party system has evolved into a brokerage system. ... The movement's acceptance of established parties and the electoral process helped foster the idea that change would be impossible without integration into the already established parties. ... These early initiatives helped the movement realize that the willingness of the Liberal governments to deal with their issues meant that reform by the st...

  • Word Count: 3983
  • Approx Pages: 16
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

5. Canadian interest group

Interest group representation in Canada identifies society's influence on the governing body and the policies decided upon in the legislative setting. ... The growth and change of interests in the Canadian state are dependent upon the structure between societal and government values. ... The Canadian government can not deal with the immense responsibility, which is delegated to it without interacting with every "major sector of national institutional structure." ... In Canada interest groups lobbying has been happening since before Confederation. ... Another contribution for the rise is i...

  • Word Count: 2646
  • Approx Pages: 11
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

6. Jean Louis Papineau

The French Canadians of Lower Canada are a proud people. ... Le Parti Canadien as it was first called was created to unite and thus give a powerful political voice to the French Canadians of Lower Canada. ... By the mid 1820's one can trace the habitant economic difficulties in direct proportion to the degree of the electoral support for the Parti Patriote. ... At first, the party was mainly concerned with the reform of governmental institutions.8 However, this was not done to benefit the majority of French Canadians. ... A speech given by a Parti Patriote leader by the name of Andr&...

  • Word Count: 1828
  • Approx Pages: 7
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

7. FDR

He also won the electoral 472 to 59. ... He received 27,751,491 popular votes and carried 46 states with 523 electoral votes. His opponent only received 16,679,491 popular votes to go with 8 electoral. ... Roosevelt received 27,243,466 popular votes and 449 electoral votes, compared to Wilkie who received 22,334,413 popular votes and 82 electoral votes. ... Roosevelt received 25,602,505 votes and 432 electoral votes and his Republican opponent received 22,013,372 popular votes and 99 electoral votes. ...

  • Word Count: 3133
  • Approx Pages: 13
  • Grade Level: High School

8. Political Party Reforms for a Stronger Democracy

Political Party Reforms for A Stronger Democracy Political Science fraternity all over the world has been discussing innumerable aspects of party systems and related issues for the last several years. ... He says, "None of these proposals for citizen juries, deliberative polls, referendum, state funding, elected city mayors or electoral reform are universal panaceas for the problems of representation and government, nor are they, in my opinion, a substitute for party. ... Not the illiberal, undemocratic National Front in France, the Reform Party in Canada, or the Freedom Party in A...

  • Word Count: 3980
  • Approx Pages: 16
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

9. Political Parties

In the United States and Canada, political parties are active on the national, state or provincial, and local levels. ... In countries that have a federal system of government, such as Canada and the United States, the powers of government are divided between the central government and the state or provincial governments. ... The president is elected by the people through the Electoral College and may be of a different political party than the party that controls Congress. ...

  • Word Count: 5323
  • Approx Pages: 21
  • Grade Level: High School

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