Fair Vote Ontario

A look at the Ontario NDP’s surprising U.K. connection, by Steve Paikin:
"It’s a bit of a dirty little secret: while there is plenty of homegrown political talent to offer advice to Ontario politicians, all the major parties at Queen’s Park seek help from beyond our borders.

After Dalton McGuinty became Liberal leader in 1996, the party secured the services of Barack Obama confidante David Axelrod to help the new Opposition leader find his voice.

Similarly, in the 1990s, the Progressive Conservative party hired Republican adviser Mike Murphy (now co-host of the Hacks on Tap podcast) to help new leader Mike Harris hone his tax-cutter message.

If you really want to get into the way-back machine, we could point out that, 50 years ago, the PCs put American pollster Robert Teeter on the payroll to train their new party leader, Bill Davis.

So it’s hardly unprecedented, but still noteworthy, that the Ontario NDP has appointed 35-year-old David Clark to be the party’s new campaign director. Clark, who’s British, got his start in politics working with the Labour Party, which just enjoyed one of its greatest-ever triumphs earlier this month, sending the Conservatives packing. Labour candidate Chris Bloore, who'd been a close adviser to Stiles before moving back to the U.K., became an MP in the riding of Redditch. That constituency had been considered a safe Conservative seat. Instead, Labour leader (now Prime Minister) Keir Starmer visited the riding in the dying days of the campaign — a sign of Labour’s confidence that there were no more safe Tory seats.

“It showed that a lot of seats you never thought were in play, could be,” says Clark.

Clark moved from Salisbury to Canada 12 years ago on a student visa, loved it here, and stayed. A friend introduced him to Ontario NDP politics, and he caught the organizational bug. He returned to his homeland to work on two national elections and to help Sadiq Khan become mayor of London in 2016. In 2017, he came back to Toronto and met a local school-board trustee — the two hit it off.

That trustee’s name was Marit Stiles.

Clark joined Stiles’s successful campaign for MPP in 2018. She asked him to run her leadership campaign, but it turned out his efforts were ultimately not needed — Stiles was acclaimed in February 2023 when no other candidates jumped into the race to succeed Andrea Horwath.

“I was ready to run a big operation, and, ultimately, the acclamation was a little disappointing because we were raring to go,” Clark says. “But, ultimately, we got the result we wanted.”

Acclamation day was also memorable to Clark for another reason: he swore his citizenship oath that same day and became a Canadian.

But back to Labour’s smashing victory for a moment — what lessons did Clark learn from that election that might be relevant during Ontario’s next grand consultation with the people?

“I learned how to be careful with resources,” he says, noting where Labour campaigned and where they didn’t bother wasting their efforts. “We have to be realistic and honest about the path to change because no one is winning all 124 seats here. Plus, the need for a disciplined message and avoiding missteps.”

For much of the Ontario NDP’s nearly 63 years of existence, the party simply has not been competitive. There have been 17 elections during that time, and the NDP has only one victory to its credit: Bob Rae’s surprising majority win in 1990. It has come second four times. It has 12 third-place finishes.

But Clark notes the NDP has formed the official Opposition in the past two consecutive elections, which is unprecedented for the party. And it’s been the Liberals who have been uncompetitive over those two campaigns.

“The big piece for us now is to make the case that the NDP can win next time,” Clark says. “We have a new leader who’s an excellent communicator and can focus the campaign on what people need.”

While Clark would love the last U.K. election to be a template for Ontario’s next one, he realizes you can’t push those comparisons too hard. The British Tories had been in power for 14 straight years with five increasingly unacceptable prime ministers; the Ontario Tories, so far, have been in power for only six years and had just one reasonably popular premier at the helm for all of it.

But the NDP intends to keep learning from its British counterparts. Labour holds a party conference every year, and someone from the Ontario NDP now attends (it was former NDP MPP Gurratan Singh at the conference In Liverpool last September). Clark also knows Labour’s general secretary David Evans, whom he’d love to get over to this side of the pond to speak at a future NDP convention.

Clark has also met Starmer, although, given his new job, Clark’s not holding out any hope that the new PM will be speaking at an NDP convention any time soon.

“But we’ll be having a convention in January, and Labour officials will be there,” confirms Clark, who’s hoping the British Conservatives won’t be the only Tories to suffer defeat at election time.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford‘s tumbling approval score is now at a level below which no premier surveyed has won re-election since at least 2011, according to a historical analysis of Angus Reid Institute’s quarterly survey data.

At 31 per cent, Ford now has the lowest job approval score of any premier surveyed, according to the latest quarterly survey, released June 26. The quarterly Premier approval survey excludes only Prince Edward Island.

The 31 per cent level appears to mark the edge of a political black hole for premiers and prime ministers. Since at least 2011, no premier or prime minister whose job approval score passed below 31 per cent has been able to escape the pull of defeat.

Doug Ford held a healthy 43 per cent job approval score in the quarterly survey immediately prior to his June 2022 re-election.

Only one premier found with support of 43 per cent or more has been defeated in the subsequent election, former Nova Scotia premier Iain Rankin. In a 2021 general election, Rankin’s Liberals scored 37 per cent support and were narrowly defeated by Tim Houston’s Conservatives, with 38 per cent.

The latest Angus Reid premier approval survey finds Ford’s approval is down three points from the pollster’s March survey.

During June, Ford revealed a controversial and expensive plan to shut The Beer Store and give its sales to grocery and convenience stores, faced continued opposition to his plan to shutter the Ontario Science Centre, and began to fuel early election speculation. Unemployment also rose to 7.0 per cent, well above the national average and the number of full-time jobs declined by 7,400.

Polls show that as people get to know NDP leader Marit Stiles her positive score rises, but nearly half still cannot make a positive or negative assessment. Voters are getting to know Ontario Liberal leader Bonnie Crombie faster, but as they do, her negatives rise and her positive impression score remains stalled.

Ford’s approval on edge of ‘political black hole’ Below Ford’s 31% approval level, no premier has been able to escape defeat since at least 2011

Elections Canada says the count in the Toronto-St. Paul's byelection that saw the Liberals lose a party stronghold went slowly but well, despite the challenges of managing a contest with 84 names on the ballot.

The Longest Ballot Committee's slate of electoral reform candidates collectively earned 1,068 votes out of the 36,962 ballots cast — nine more votes than the Green Party's candidate, who received 1,059 votes, and significantly more than the 234 votes earned by the People's Party of Canada candidate.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau promised during the 2015 federal election that it would be the last under the first-past-the-post system. After winning power, he backed away from that promise.

Glen McDonald, who earned 42 votes as an independent candidate in the Toronto-St. Paul's by-election, told CBC news many of the people who voted for him and other independent candidates would have voted Liberal but were upset that Prime Minister Trudeau backed down on his electoral reform promise.

"If he had moved on electoral reform, I would have actually voted for Justin Trudeau and would have encouraged other people to do so and it would have made the difference," McDonald said.

McDonald said his group has yet to decide how it is going to approach the coming federal election but will evaluate the movement's results in Toronto-St. Paul's before making a decision.

"The whole purpose of the Longest Ballot is to demonstrate that our voting system is messed up. And if that message hasn't gotten across yet, then next time it won't be 84 candidates, it will be 184 candidates," he said.

Brilliant piece, by Dr. David Johnson, Ph.D., who teaches political science at Cape Breton University:

I wonder whether Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his senior advisors are now haunted by a decision of his from the winter of 2019.
But let’s go back a bit further, to June of 2015, for some context.
As that summer was unfolding we were into the ninth year of Stephen Harper’s prime ministership. And there was a federal election scheduled for the fall. This election would mark the first time Justin Trudeau would lead the Liberals into a national campaign to decide who would govern Canada
So, in June of 2015, and seeking to show himself as a democratic reformer, Trudeau made a bold promise. If Canadians elected a Liberal government, said Trudeau, “the 2015 election will be the last election using first past the post.”
The Liberals, with 39 per cent of the vote, won that election and a majority government. The promise of electoral reform helped to convince many Canadians that a vote for the Liberals was, at long last, a vote for significant electoral reform in Canada, giving Canada a fairer, more balanced and proportional electoral system.
The new government promptly established a parliamentary committee to study “viable alternative voting systems such as preferential ballots and proportional representation.”
By the fall of 2018 this committee recommended that Canada move to a system of proportional representation and that a national referendum be held to determine if a majority of Canadians support such a reform.
But, in February 2019, Prime Minister Trudeau reneged on his push for electoral reform. “A clear preference for a new electoral system,” he said, “let alone a consensus, has not emerged. Furthermore, without a clear preference on a clear question, a referendum would not be in Canada’s interest.”
The move to proportional representation was dead, and the federal electoral system remains that of single-member plurality, “first past the post.” Presumably the prime minister and his advisers felt, in 2019, that the Liberals would have no problem winning future elections with majority governments. If they could do it in 2015, they could do it again when needed.
But federal elections in 2019 and 2021, held under these old rules, resulted in Liberal minority governments, with the Conservatives narrowly winning the national popular vote. The next federal election, likely in the fall of 2025, will be held under the old rules.
But here’s the rub now for Trudeau and his Liberals. His party is trailing badly in the polls and if there were an election held now, Pierre Poilievre and his Conservatives would likely win a thumping majority government.
As of this past Sunday the poll aggregator 338canada.com shows the Conservatives in first with 41 per cent support from survey respondents, with the Liberals trailing at 25 per cent, the New Democrats with 17 per cent, the Bloc Quebecois at 8 per cent and the Greens on four per cent.
Popular vote numbers like this in an election held under the “first past the post” system would likely result in the Conservatives winning 207 seats in the House of Commons, to the Liberals with 74 seats, the Bloc with 40, the NDP at 20, and the Greens with 2. In the new 343-seat House of Commons, a majority government starts with 172 seats. This means that a party winning 41 per cent of the vote wins 60 per cent of the seats in the Commons.
Proportional representation systems are designed to prevent such disproportionate “false majorities.” Under a basic PR system, the popular vote figures above would result in the Conservatives winning 148 seats, the Liberals 91, the NDP 61, the Bloc 28, and the Greens 15.
The progressive voices in such a parliament, the Liberals/NDP/Greens/would control 167 seats and they could sustain another Liberal minority government, with likely support from the Bloc.
I wonder if Justin Trudeau thinks about this late at night, as he ponders his electoral future.

𝐌𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐫𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦: 𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐡𝐨𝐩𝐞. 𝐉𝐨𝐢𝐧 𝐠𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐭 𝐃𝐞𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐬 𝐏𝐢𝐥𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐧 𝐒𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝟏𝟕, 𝟕 𝐏𝐌 𝐄𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧

REGISTER HERE:

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What are the most important lessons the proportional representation movement has learned in our fight for fair voting?

How can these lessons make us stronger going forward?
Why should we remain not only tenacious and determined, but hopeful?

Join us for a deep dive into the answers with electoral reform expert Dennis Pilon.

Dennis Pilon is a Professor at York University and one of Canada’s preeminent experts on voting system reform. He has spent decades researching the real world politics of how countries change their voting systems while closely following the campaign for electoral reform in Canada.

Professor Pilon has written numerous journal articles, newspaper articles, book chapters, and books, including “The Politics of Voting: Reforming Canada’s Electoral System” and “Wrestling with Democracy: Voting Systems as Politics in the Twentieth Century West".

Share this webinar with friends who support PR and bring your questions!

REGISTER:

https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/8817098772431/WN_DqpgCd83S4mpkkGgsaUInQ

Three great letters to the Editor in this morning's Globe and Mail:
"Unsound judgment?
Re “Doug Ford says it’s his right to appoint ‘like-minded’ judges” (Feb. 24): We have been warned. The independence of our courts and respect for non-partisan legal expertise within our judicial system is now ours to lose.
Elizabeth Hay Prince Edward County, Ont.

"When Doug Ford declared, “I am not going to appoint some NDP or some Liberal,” no doubt he shocked many people unaware of how the appointment process works.
Non-political review panels select the most qualified candidates and forward names to the advisory committee. Since lawyers deal daily with laws, it is unsurprising that many join political parties. Choosing between qualified candidates of known political affiliation, this provincial government normally appoints Conservatives whereas the present Federal government normally appoints Liberals.
Past efforts to change this have not succeeded. It sounds disingenuous for lawyers associations to suggest they are shocked. Although this practice looks bad, it seems to produce perfectly good judges.
As a civil litigator (now retired), my main concern was to know a judge’s area of legal expertise. They were all virtually “colour-blind” to the political spectrum, in my experience. Those with no known political affiliation were not noticeably superior.

Bob Seiler Pickering, Ont.

"In prewar Israel, the government attempted to pass legislation that would change the panel responsible for the selection of judges to the country’s Supreme Court and tip the balance in favour of government appointees.
Over nine months, hundreds of thousands of Israelis took to the streets to register their opposition. And they were, at least for now, successful.
In direct contrast, we Ontarians (if we are at all aware of Doug Ford’s appointments) seem to shrug it off as just another example of his cronyism. We should wake up. Write, call and e-mail our MPPs.
Democracy is a fragile thing. It’s up to us to protect it and our independent judiciary.

Grace Brooker Toronto"

CBC created this amazing news item on the recent vote in the Commons on a Citizens Assembly for electoral reform.
We'll get there and won't it be a relief to vote for the party you actually agree with and know your vote won't be wasted!

Electoral reform didn’t happen. What it means for your vote Motion 86 called on the federal government to establish a citizens’ assembly on electoral reform. It failed to pass in the House of Commons, but more than 10...

Does your MP know that you support Motion M-86 for a National Citizens' Assembly on Electoral Reform? The vote in Parliament could be as soon as February 7!

CALL YOUR MP NOW:

Call your MP to ask them to support Motion M-86 for a National Citizens' Assembly on Electoral Reform The vote on Motion M-86 for a National Citizens’ Assembly on Electoral Reform could happen as soon as February 7. Whether this motion passes could come down to Liberal or Conservative MPs who are undecided. They need to hear from constituents right now. When you call the constituency office during...

Where do the Ontario Liberal leadership candidates stand on electoral reform? Do they support proportional representation? Will they champion an independent, non-partisan Citizens' Assembly on Electoral Reform to move us forward?

We looked at the promises in their leadership platforms and their track record of action.

Ontario Liberal Party members vote for a new leader on November 25 and 26 - results announced December 2.

Read more:

Ontario Liberal Leadership 2023 - Electoral Reform Report Card - Fair Vote Canada Ontario Liberal leadership candidates - where do they stand on electoral reform?

𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐝𝐢𝐝 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧?

SUNDAY JULY 30, 7 PM EASTERN (webinar)

Join electoral reform expert Dennis Pilon for a look at the real world politics behind how countries adopted proportional representation and what reformers can learn from history.

Associate Professor Dennis Pilon is author of two books and many chapters and journal articles on the history and politics of electoral reform in Canada and around the world.

REGISTER HERE:

https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/5016881861316/WN_9E4Bo3B6T8O5efp40yPuSg

What a weekend it was for Fair Vote Toronto at the city's Pride Festival this year!! 🏳️‍🌈

Fifteen volunteers gave their time over the weekend to help engage attendees in conversations about Proportional Representation and how we can build a stronger, more inclusive democracy together.

Our efforts made quite an impact as over 400 people signed our petition for PR!!

Congrats on a successful Pride everyone!! 🌈

BIG NEWS: A motion for a National Citizens' Assembly on Electoral Reform will be voted on in Parliament!

Today we received exciting and groundbreaking news for electoral reform.

NDP MP Lisa Marie Barron (Nanaimo - Ladysmith) has tabled a motion in the House of Commons for a National Citizens' Assembly on Electoral Reform.

This motion will come to a vote of all MPs in this Parliament!

This vote is the biggest chance for a breakthrough on electoral reform since 2017.

The news was announced today by three MPs together: Green Party MP Mike Morrice, NDP MP and Democratic Reform Critic Daniel Blaikie and NDP MP Lisa Marie Barron.

Please show all MPs that Canadians support electoral reform by sharing this news now:

SHARE THE ANNOUNCEMENT VIDEO ON TWITTER:
https://twitter.com/LisaMarieBarron/status/1668658642126614528?t=cvSrA9gsBABOi1qIRh99cA&s=19

SHARE THE ANNOUNCEMENT VIDEO ON FACEBOOK:
https://www.facebook.com/LisaMarieBarronMP/videos/669021765113660/

This moment wouldn't have happened without you.

All your persistent, relentless and passionate work for proportional representation and a National Citizens' Assembly on Electoral Reform made this chance possible.

In the next six months, we'll be pulling out all the stops and rolling out the biggest campaign that we can.

Let's be clear: We're under no illusions about what we're up against.

Together, we're facing down powerful, vested interests who will fight until their last breath to keep Canada's politics a winner-take-all game.

As a grassroots movement, our campaign will need the hope, passion, determination and hard work of all of us.

As we get more details about the timing of debates and the vote, and the next steps ahead in the campaign, we will share them with you.

For today, please show your support for a National Citizens' Assembly on Electoral Reform by sharing this news with everyone you can, and celebrate today's breakthrough with us!

https://www.fairvote.ca/13/06/2023/national-citizens-assembly-on-electoral-reform-to-be-voted-on-in-parliament/

National Citizens' Assembly on Electoral Reform to be voted on There will be a vote on a National Citizens' Assembly on Electoral Reform. The motion was tabled by NDP MP Lisa Marie Barron.

BREAKING NEWS: Please share!

In the biggest leap forward since 2015, the federal Liberal Party has voted at their convention in Ottawa to back a National Citizens’ Assembly on Electoral Reform.

The vote passed with overwhelming support from party members and Liberal MPs from across the country.

Liberal Party votes to back a National Citizens’ Assembly on Electoral Reform - Fair Vote Canada The Liberal Party of Canada has voted to back a National Citizens’ Assembly on Electoral Reform at their 2023 convention.

Fair Vote Canada volunteers tabling today at the Ontario School Boards Council of Unions convention.

Great to talk with Laura Walton about a proportional representation and a Citizens' Assembly on Electoral Reform!

Do you want to help us make every vote count?

Join a webinar with MPs from three parties who are supporting a National Citizens' Assembly on Electoral Reform!

𝗠𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝗘𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗥𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺
𝗠𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗔𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗹 𝟮𝟰, 𝟲:𝟯𝟬 𝗣𝗠 𝗘𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻

𝗥𝗘𝗚𝗜𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗥 𝗛𝗘𝗥𝗘:

https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_xlKxaHa-RuWuPRN94c8oKQ #/registration

Special guests: Green MP Mike Morrice, NDP MP Daniel Blaikie and Liberal MP Jenica Atwin. Each MP will talk about why electoral reform matters to them and how we can make progress!

https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_xlKxaHa-RuWuPRN94c8oKQ #/registration

𝐆𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐲 𝐌𝐏 𝐌𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐞𝐝 𝐚 𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐌𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫’𝐬 𝐌𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐂𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐳𝐞𝐧𝐬’ 𝐀𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐥𝐲 𝐨𝐧 𝐄𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐑𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦.

𝐌𝐏𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐝𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐩𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐧!

Please share!

This motion has already been jointly seconded by:
John Aldag (Liberal) Cloverdale—Langley City
Jenica Atwin (Liberal) Fredericton
Daniel Blaikie (NDP Democratic Reform Critic) Elmwood—Transcona
Julie Dzerowicz (Liberal) Davenport
Nathaniel Erskine-Smith (Liberal) Beaches—East York
Ben Lobb (Conservative) Huron—Bruce
Wayne Long (Liberal) Saint John—Rothesay
Elizabeth May (Green Leader) Saanich—Gulf Islands
Patrick Weiler (Liberal) West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea-to-Sky

The electoral reform movement is gaining momentum.
As a December 2022 EKOS poll showed, an overwhelming majority of Canadians (76%) support a National Citizens’ Assembly on Electoral Reform. Support is strong from voters of all parties, and in all regions of Canada.

Private members motions can be jointly seconded by up to 20 MPs.
This is just the beginning―we hope to see more MPs step forward!

𝐒𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐄 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐎𝐍 𝐓𝐖𝐈𝐓𝐓𝐄𝐑:

Support is growing for a National Citizens' Assembly on Electoral Reform MP Mike Morrice has introduced a Private Member’s Motion for a National Citizens’ Assembly on Electoral Reform. MPs from different parties are stepping forward to back this plan! This motion has already been jointly seconded by: John Aldag (Liberal) Cloverdale—Langley CityJenica Atwin (Liberal...

Fair Vote Toronto volunteers were out raising awareness about Proportional Representation at the Greenbelt Rally at Queen's Park today!

Board Election 2023 - Fair Vote Canada Run for Fair Vote Canada's national council!

By Fair Vote Canada's Gisela Ruckert and Anita Nickerson:

"How many times have we heard blustering declarations from armchair critics and jaded pundits that proportional representation is most definitely, indisputably and irrevocably dead as a doornail?

And yet, just as tulips gather strength beneath the frozen ground of winter, the electoral reform movement continues to grow deeper roots and gain momentum.

"Change that fundamentally threatens the power of elites often takes longer ― but it can succeed."

"Proportional representation is coming to Canada because Canadians will keep fighting for it until it does.

With the real perils facing democracy in Canada and the serious challenges ahead, it can’t come soon enough.

𝗬𝗲𝘀, 𝘄𝗲’𝗿𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘆. 𝗕𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗻 𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗿𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺."

READ the whole article in the Tyee:
https://thetyee.ca/Analysis/2023/02/02/Electoral-Reform-Not-Dead-Canada/

And don't forget to seize the chance to make a difference now! 𝗦𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗝𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻 𝗧𝗿𝘂𝗱𝗲𝗮𝘂, 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗻 𝗵𝗶𝗺 𝘁𝗼 𝗩𝗢𝗧𝗘 𝗬𝗘𝗦 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮 𝗡𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗖𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘇𝗲𝗻𝘀' 𝗔𝘀𝘀𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗹𝘆 𝗼𝗻 𝗘𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗥𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺:

https://fairvotecanada.good.do/card/Trudeau-card/

Here’s Why Electoral Reform Isn’t Dead in Canada | The Tyee The need is greater than ever, and there are signs of political progress.

Hello everyone! URGENT ACTION ALERT!
https://fairvotecanada.good.do/card/Trudeau-card/

It’s the biggest opportunity to kick-start electoral reform in Canada since the Liberal’s broken promise in 2017. But we must act now.

A groundbreaking resolution is going to the Liberal Party’s national convention for a vote this spring.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Liberal MPs will be voting on whether to back a National Citizens’ Assembly on Electoral Reform!
(See the resolution here: https://www.fairvote.ca/09/01/2023/trudeaucard/)

Let’s send a loud message that Canadians want action on electoral reform.

SEND A CARD TO JUSTIN TRUDEAU NOW ASKING HIM TO VOTE YES:
https://fairvotecanada.good.do/card/Trudeau-card/

The card will have a picture of the new, national poll results showing sky-high support from Canadians for a National Citizens Assembly on Electoral Reform.

On the sign-up form, you can write a short personal message to Justin Trudeau which will get printed inside the card. That’s all you need to do!

We’ll make sure Trudeau’s office is flooded with cards from Canadians coast to coast to coast, calling on the Prime Minister to vote YES!

When Justin Trudeau broke his promise to end first-past-the-post, he basically claimed that nobody cared about electoral reform anymore.

Electoral reform, Trudeau said, was only important to “a small number of people.”

Yet we all know that millions of Canadians felt disappointed or betrayed when Trudeau walked away from the promise to make every vote count.

More importantly, a brand new national poll shows that a whopping 76% of Canadians―including 73% of Liberal Party voters―support a National Citizens’ Assembly on Electoral Reform.

Canadians are looking for a positive path forward.

If this vote succeeds, it could kick start a new chance for electoral reform in Canada.

Please sign up to send your card now:
https://fairvotecanada.good.do/card/Trudeau-card/

Send Trudeau a card telling him to VOTE YES for a National Citizens' Assembly Electoral Reform! This spring, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Liberal MPs will be voting at their convention on a groundbreaking resolution: A National Citizens’ Assembly on Electoral Reform.This is a crucial decision point and a rare chance to kickstart action on electoral reform in Canada! Let’s send a loud ...

EXCITING NEWS! Please share.

𝗡𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗽𝗼𝗹𝗹 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘄𝘀 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝗮𝗷𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮 𝗡𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗖𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘇𝗲𝗻𝘀’ 𝗔𝘀𝘀𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗹𝘆 𝗼𝗻 𝗘𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗥𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺

A new national poll by EKOS research, commissioned by Fair Vote Canada, shows 𝟳𝟲% 𝗼𝗳 𝗖𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗮𝗻𝘀 would support a National Citizens’ Assembly on Electoral Reform.

This includes 73% of Liberal voters, 69% of Conservative voters, 84% of NDP voters, 88% of Bloc voters, 91% of Green voters and 72% of People’s Party voters.

𝗢𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗸𝗲𝘆 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗼𝗹𝗹:

• 78% of respondents agree that in order for a political party to form a majority government, it should have the support of over 50% of Canadian voters.

• 87% of respondents agree that an electoral system should encourage parties to cooperate and compromise so that the most important policies that are passed in Parliament reflect the support of over 50% of Canadian voters.

• 90% of respondents agree that the overall composition of Parliament should be an accurate reflection of how people voted.

• Only 6% say it's okay for a party to change the electoral system to one they prefer without the agreement of any other party.

Canadians are firmly opposed to any single party unilaterally changing the electoral system. Politicians are distrusted on electoral reform, because time and again they have shown that when it comes to electoral reform, they will put their own self-interest ahead of the common good.

We need an independent, non-partisan National Citizens' Assembly on Electoral Reform to look objectively at all the options, and make a recommendation in the best interest of all Canadians. It's time for action!

𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝘀𝗲𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝘂𝗹𝗹 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘀 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲.

Poll shows support for a National Citizens' Assembly on Electoral Reform - A new poll shows 76% of Canadians support a National Citizens' Assembly on Electoral Reform. Support is strong across regions and voters of every party.

Let's make 2023 the year we make a breakthrough for proportional representation!

It's going to be an exciting year for Fair Vote Canada, with a new campaign at the federal level, and ongoing campaigns in Ontario, Yukon and New Brunswick. If you're on our mailing list, watch your inbox for some big news at the end of this week!

If you want to keep up-to-date with our campaigns, join the movement! Just click the big red "Join the Movement" button on the front of our website, sign the Declaration of Voters' Rights, and let's Make Every Vote Count:

https://www.fairvote.ca/