Making Democracy Constitutional

Abstract

Canada is sorely in need of electoral reform. Its present system of giving legislative representation only to candidates who win the most votes in geographically defined constituencies is grossly unfair. Yet it appears that neither the legislative nor the executive branches of government is likely to initiate any meaningful reform. For proportional representation (PR) to be adopted, the courts will have to insist on the change. This is not a new idea. The Japanese Supreme Court had to declare three national elections unconstitutional before the government adopted a modified PR system. Those who continue to defend the present first-past-the-post (FPTP) system claim that FPTP is conducive to stronger, more stable, & therefore more effective governments. This claim is unlikely to stand up in court. Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, & Sweden all include proportionality in their electoral systems & all have had stable & effective governments for decades. The constitutional deficiencies of Canada's FPTP system will assuredly be recognized by the courts & reform effected soon after. J. Stanton