Saskatchewan Leads

On March 8, this Saskatchewan NDP resolution was passed unanimously at their 2013 convention, "WHEREAS there is little democracy in our current electoral system, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the NDP work towards establishing a transparent proportional electoral system."  John Bidochka adds, "This resolution was passed unanimously by delegates from all 58 provincial constituencies across Saskatchewan. This represents the first time such a resolution has passed at the provincial level, effectively ending a longstanding contradiction between federal and provincial branches of the NDP."

While Fair Vote Canada is non-partisan, the Saskatchewan Chapter applauds the Saskatchewan's NDP recognition that there is "little democracy" in our first-past-the-post system and we encourage their willingness to direct energy to a "transparent proportional electoral system".

When asked, Ryan Meili, who was in the NDP leadership race, said, "I am supportive of moving toward a democratic system that is more representative of diverse views, be it proportional representation, preferential balloting, or another mechanism. The current winner-take-all system leads to democratic exclusion and lopsided decision-making."

In the book, Tipping Point, Malcolm Gladwell identified "The Law of the Few"; to tip an idea you do not need to convince the masses, you need only connect with the special few who are connected to the masses.
Gladwell examined Milgram's famous "Six Degrees of Separation" experiment and concluded, "Six degrees of separation doesn't mean that everyone is linked to everyone else in just six steps.  It means a very small number of people are linked to everyone else in a few steps, and the rest of us are linked to the world through those special few."

While Gladwell's Law appears true, proportional representation may be easier to tip than other ideas.  The NDP unanimous vote supports this hypothesis.  People sense that first-past-the-post offers "little democracy" and immediately recognize that proportional representation offers "big democracy".  So whether talking to the masses or the few, every opened mind counts.