FVC Saskatchewan Meets Online

After a failed Skype meeting, FVC Saskatchewan members were open to trying an online meeting room and are enthusiastic about its potential.  In the meeting room, in addition to audio, there is a whiteboard to collaborate on documents or show presentations, chat, emot icons, web tours, and file transfer.  The online room has video capabilities as well but that it is typically used briefly during an introduction as it demands band width.  As wonderful as its features are though, the best thing it does is remove the tyranny of Saskatchewan geography.  Members can join from the comfort of their own home—no travel required so if is environmentally friendly.

In the February 11 meeting, a new executive was assembled.  Nancy Carswell and Rick Sawa accepted nominations to be co-spokespersons and Dave Walther is treasurer-organizer. Many thanks to past members, especially Past President Gord Hunter for carrying the torch of democracy.

Walther is eager to capitalize on the grassroots momentum in Moose Jaw.  While FVC is currently offering three petitions, Walther urged the group to focus on the "FairElectoral Representation: Petition to the House of Commons" 

An educator, Carswell is very interested in the power of video to help people understand how proportional representation is better than Canada's first-past-the-post system.  She hopes to have a video done in time to meet FVC Video Contest deadline of April 11.  Contest details available at http://www.fairvote.ca/en/FVC-news/fair-vote-canada-video-contest.

Interested in a democracy where every vote counts.  Join us.  Our email is fairvotesask@gmail.com. 

Fair Vote Visits Saskatchewan Youth Parliament

The Saskatchewan Youth Parliament is a non-partisan organization of young people that meets to discuss and debate political and social issues. Members learn about the mechanics of government, such as parliamentary procedure, decision making, and the rules of debate in a parliamentary democracy. Additionally, members are exposed to a variety of viewpoints from youth from around Saskatchewan.

At its annual Christmas session, Youth Parliament members are given the privilege of debating at the Saskatchewan Legislature in Regina, in the same seats as the real Members of the Legislative Assembly.

The Saskatchewan Youth Parliament is run for youth by youth and by a cabinet elected at the Annual Christmas Session each year. Cabinet does everything from planning the events, to finances and communications.

During the Christmas session Fair Vote Saskatchewan was invited to talk to the group over lunch about Fair Vote Canada, our Saskatchewan Chapter and the reasons that Proportional Representation provided a much more fair and equal representation that the existing first past the post system

Larissa Shasko, a member of Fair Vote and a former member of the Saskatchewan Chapter executive spoke to the group and fielded questions. The presentation was very well received and discussion that followed made it clear that Larissa challenged their notions about the fairness of the existing system and the need for electoral reform.

Executive Meets in Craik

The Saskatchewan Chapter of Fair Vote Canada Executive met May 9th at the Eco Centre in Craik from 10:30 until 1:40.

Because of the large distances members have to travel to such meetings these events are usually held by conference call so this was the first face to face meeting the executive has been able to have for some time.

There was wide ranging discussion on several issues and a planning session helped to map out acitvities for the rest of the year.

To read the minutes of the Executive meeting please follow the link on the right hand side of the page.

UK Election Prompts Canadians to Take a Look at FPTP

In an odd way the kerfuffle over the "hung parliament" may actually cause Canadians to take a look at our own system. Minority governments are nothing new here in Canada but, they are a big deal in the UK. I good deal is being written about the stupidity of the first past the post system our governments fight do hard to hang on to.

I particularly like this letter by Geoff Rytell printed in the Toronto Star.

Thomas Walkom notes that now, because no party has earned a majority in England, there is going to be a “fierce fight over who will govern.” In the first-past-the-post electoral system, a system that Canada shares with Great Britain, it’s all about winning the seat but not so much about representing all the voters. FPTP is good for horses. But unlike horses, voters pay taxes and deserve to be equally represented in parliament. First-past-the-post fails to recognize that voters who choose to vote for someone who doesn’t take a seat are just as important as those who choose to vote for a winning candidate. British Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg wants to fix that with proportional representation so that the “who will govern” fight becomes instead an amicable sharing of governance.

Let's keep this discussion going.

Ludicrous election results in U.K. match those in Canada

But unlike Canada, Britain may move on electoral reform


Yesterday’s British parliamentary election provided yet another breath-taking example of how an antiquated winner-take-all voting system distorts election results.

With 626 of the 650 seats declared as of this posting anyway, things might shift a bit, the Conservatives won about 47% of the seats with just 36% of the votes. Labour received an equivalent windfall of undeserved seats: 40% of the seats with just 29% of the votes.

Meanwhile, the Liberal Democrats won only 8% of the seats, despite winning about 23% of the votes. As Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg said, it is “abundantly clear the electoral system is broken.”

“As ludicrous as Britain’s election results are, they are no worse than what we experience in Canada,” said Bronwen Bruch, President of Fair Vote Canada, a multi-partisan citizens’ campaign for voting system reform in Canada.

“The big difference is that Britain may well move forward on electoral reform, since both Labour and the Liberal Democrats, who together represent a majority of voters, are prepared to scrap the discredited first-past-the-post system. The Liberal Democrats are expected to demand action on proportional representation.”

Yesterday’s election in the U.K. follows the 2005 election in which Tony Blair’s Labour Party won a majority of seats with a mere 35% of the popular vote.

How bad are Canadian elections in comparison?

“In recent years we have had three provincial majority governments formed by parties that came in second place in the popular vote,” said Larry Gordon, Executive Director of Fair Vote Canada. “The current Liberal government in New Brunswick is an example – the New Brunswick Conservatives actually won more votes in the last election.”

Fair Vote Canada also pointed to these examples of electoral dysfunction in Canada:

• In 1997, Jean Chretien’s Liberals won a majority of seats with just 39% of the votes.
• In 1990, Bob Rae’s New Democrats won a majority in Ontario with less than 38% of the votes.
• In the 2008 federal election, 940,000 Greens elected no one, while 813,000 Conservative voters in Alberta alone sent 27 MPs to Parliament.

“Pressure for electoral reform has been slowly building in Britain and then the MPs’ spending scandal blew the lid,” said Gordon. “Plus, Nick Clegg, the third party leader has said electoral reform is a condition for supporting a new government. A similar mix of conditions may be building in Canada – we can only hope since Canadian voter turnout is dropping as people walk away in disgust from our dysfunctional system.”

For more information contact Fair Vote Canada's Executive Director, Larry Gordon at 647-519-7585

What is Democracy in Canada?

A Public Discussion on Canadian Democracy with University of Saskatchewan Political Studies Professors Anna Hunter, David McGrane and Loleen Berdahl

Date: Saturday, March 20, 2010
Time: 1:00pm - 4:00pm

St. Thomas More Auditorium - U of S Campus
1437 College Drive
Saskatoon, SK

With the recent turmoil in Canadian politics many of us have realized that our knowledge and the knowledge of many Canadians is lacking in the principles and details of how our democracy works.

What is a prorogation? Why does a representative of the Queen of England have a say over our parliament? Can several political parties form a coalition government? Does our Prime Minister have the same powers as the President of the United States? What is the Senate and why are it's members not elected?

Many Canadians have also been asking themselves, with all of the inter-party conflict recently, if our democracy is broken. If it isn't functioning properly, are there reforms that could improve it?

These questions and many others will be addressed at this public discussion with University of Saskatchewan Political Studies professors Anna Hunter, David McGrane and Loleen Berdahl.

The event will begin with the three professors answering questions posed by the moderator. Shortly after, discussion will be opened up to everyone in attendance to pose questions to the professors or to other participants. At 2:30pm we will brake for refreshments (provided by the organizers) and following the break, resume with the discussion.

Participants may make statements or ask questions at a microphone or submit them in writing for the moderator to read.

Admission free - wheelchair accessible.

Sponsored by The University of Saskatchewan Political Studies Department, St. Thomas More Political Studies Department, Saskatchewan Chapter of Fair Vote Canada, CAPP Saskatoon (Canadians Advocating Political Participation, formerly Canadians Against Proroguing Parliament) and Grassroots Citizens' Democracy Group.

FVC Advisory Board Member Speaks in Regina

The Regina Public Interest Research Group and The University of Regina’s Department of Political Science have invited Dr. Dennis Pilon a political scientist from the University of Victoria and author of The Politics of Voting: Reforming Canada's Electoral System to Regina.

Dr. Pilon will deliver two public lectures while he is in Regina.

The first lecture is on Tuesday February 23rd in Room 114 of the Education Building from 3:00 - 5:00pm (including discussion time);

The second will be at Chapters bookstore from 7:30 until 9:00 that same evening.

Dr. Pilon is a noted scholar of electoral systems and reform, and is a member of Fair Vote Canada’s Advisory Board.