Message from the Chapter President

Dear friends;

Canada's electoral system is dysfunctional. It consistently fails to represent the majority sentiment of Canadians and our voting intention on a broad range of issues and political representatives. Without repeating it all here, vivid examples of distorted election results are documented on the Fair Vote Canada website at www.fairvote.ca. The current system negatively affects all voters, all political parties, and all regions.
Within the global community, we are among the dinosaurs, resisting democratic reform. More than 80 countries have used proportional voting systems successfully for most of the last century, more than any other type of voting system. Among all the newly established democracies in Eastern Europe in the 1990s, not a single one chose the North American ‘first past the post’ model.
In the last federal election fewer than 60% of eligible voters participated. This compares to 80% to 90% normal participation throughout Europe. Many abstainers here feel their votes are just 'wasted' in a system where only the dominant party in a riding or region is represented.
Under the current, winner-take-all system, most of us vote for candidates who do not get elected, so most of our votes have no effect on the outcome of the election. As a result, election outcomes are routinely horribly distorted. In Saskatchewan in the 2008 federal election, the Conservatives, with just over 50% of the votes, were awarded 93% of the seats. Results are just as distorted in other regions. Sometimes the party with the most votes loses the election!
To create change in the Canadian system will require knowledge of the alternatives and pressure from the bottom up. That's the goal of Fair Vote Canada—to support public education and consultation on electoral reform.
We need your help. Please take out a membership and support our activities and events as we broaden our base across the country.
Join and participate now! You can join online at www.FairVote.Ca. A first-year membership is only $10. Be sure to mention you are joining the Saskatchewan chapter!
We look forward to working with you and pressing this issue forward in the days and months ahead. As we plan meetings or events in Saskatoon, Regina and other centres we will provide advance notice to all members.

Don Mitchell


Fair Vote Canada Saskatchewan Chapter

For further information visit our blog at http://fairvotesask.blogspot.com; You can contact us with inquiries at fairvotesask@gmail.com or me personally at donmitchell@sasktel.net;

Our mailing address for donations to the Saskatchewan chapter is: 954 Ominica St. West, Moose Jaw S6H 1V7