By Chandra Pasma | Wednesday, May 18th, 2011 - 3:18PM
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With the Conservatives winning a majority government by virtue of 6,102 votes and only 39.6% of votes cast, talk of electoral reform is surfacing once again. In fact, rallies were held across the country on May 14 calling for electoral reform and some form of proportional representation in Canada.
Meanwhile, a referendum in the United Kingdom – a key component of the coalition agreement between the Conservatives and the Liberal-Democrats – saw Alternative Vote go down to defeat on May 5 with 68% of voters opting in favour of first-past-the-post (FPTP). Read more »
Over the years, Canadian churches, Christian organizations, and other social justice advocates have provided valuable analysis on a range of issues of concern to Canadians. Throughout this election campaign, CPJ has shared our perspectives on a number of key issues. Now, recognizing that there are issues of interest beyond the scope of our work, we’ve compiled a survey of some of the major themes worthy of consideration that are being highlighted by our colleague organizations. Read more »
When an election is called, church communities will encourage their faithful to undertake their civic duty to vote. All faith traditions will laud democratic participation – yet many Canadians are discouraged by politics and over 40% no longer vote. Beneficial reforms to the electoral system, allowing for more enhanced participation by Canadians, are very beneficial to the common good. Activities that limit, constrain and even exclude Canadians from participation in the political process are not helpful. Will the elimination of per-vote subsidy funding to political parties enhance civic participation and culture? Read more »
By Kathy Vandergrift and Citizens for Public Justice | Tuesday, January 26th, 2010
The Prime Minister sent our MPs home to recalibrate the government agenda. The break was 20 workdays, he said.
If you could set the agenda for 2010 during this pause, what would your list of the 20 most important policy concerns include?
CPJ has come up with a list of 20 key policy questions, one for each day. We believe these issues should be debated by MPs, the voice of the people, to set directions for Canada. Read more »
While Canadians responded with fear and outrage to the possibility of a coalition government, many other countries are used to coalition governments. Experience from Germany and the Netherlands suggests that coalition governments can work well, offering stability and good governance. They represent accommodation of multiple viewpoints, and offer a positive platform for governance that does not restrict the role of other parties to opposing the government. Lessons from Europe could provide useful alternatives for the Canadian system, offering a more collaborative, transparent approach. Read more »
By Chandra Pasma | Tuesday, March 17th, 2009 - 2:49PM
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Last week I attended a conference sponsored by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives and the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, “Till Elections Do Us Part: What Makes a Coalition Government Work?” The event brought European and Canadian scholars and members of parliament together in a dialogue about creating and maintaining coalition governments, including lessons learned from Canada’s pre-Christmas experiment with a coalition.
The dialogue was extremely informative, and the comparative insights provided a lot of food for thought. It was particularly useful to view Canada’s system through outside eyes, and German journalist Gerd Braune provided a wakeup call to Canadians that while we smugly view our system as the best in the world, seen from another perspective our system is rather dysfunctional! Read more »
Recent calls for change to our electoral system has brought proportional representation once again to the forefront. Caitlin Hayward gives an overview of various forms of PR and the history of PR experiments in Canada. Read more »
When an election is called, church communities will encourage their faithful to undertake their civic duty to vote. All faith traditions will laud democratic participation – yet many Canadians are discouraged by politics and over 40% no longer vote. Beneficial reforms to the electoral system, allowing for more enhanced participation by Canadians, are very beneficial to the common good. Activities that limit, constrain and even exclude Canadians from participation in the political process are not helpful. Will the elimination of per-vote subsidy funding to political parties enhance civic participation and culture? 
The Prime Minister sent our MPs home to recalibrate the government agenda. The break was 20 workdays, he said.
Recent calls for change to our electoral system has brought proportional representation once again to the forefront. Caitlin Hayward gives an overview of various forms of PR and the history of PR experiments in Canada. 
