Support proportional representation? Your guide to the mydemocracy.ca survey
Voters across Canada are getting a controversial postcard in the mail about an online survey on electoral reform. The controversy? It has been widely criticized for being misleading, vague, ineffective, and designed to undermine majority Canadian support for proportional representation. It doesn’t even ask Canadians which system they want!
If you, like most Canadians, support proportional representation, here’s what you need to know about the survey.
A PR supporter’s guide to the “mydemocracy.ca” survey
As you click through the survey, watch for these questions, because they are most relevant to proportional representation.
Q – There should be parties in Parliament that represent the views of all Canadians, even if some are radical or extreme.
A – “Strongly agree” to support PR
Q – There should be greater diversity of views in Parliament.
A – “Strongly agree” to support PR
Q – It is better for several parties to have to govern together than for one party to make all the decisions in government, even if it takes longer for government to get things done.
A – “Strongly agree” to support PR
Q – Governments should have to negotiate their policy decisions with other parties in Parliament, even if it is less clear who is accountable for the resulting policy.
A – “Strongly agree” to support PR
Q – A ballot should be easy to understand, even if it means voters have fewer options to express their preferences.
A – “Strongly disagree” to support PR
Q – It should always be clear which party is accountable for decisions made by government, even if this means that decisions are only made by one party.
A – “Strongly disagree” to support PR
Q – Voters should be able to express multiple preferences on the ballot, even if this means that it takes longer to count the ballots and announce the election result.
A – “Strongly agree” to support PR
Q – A party that wins the most seats in an election should still have to compromise with other parties, even if it means reconsidering some of its policies.
A – “Strongly agree” to support PR
“Priorities”
In the “Priorities” section of the survey, choose these to support proportional representation:
- Governments that collaborate with other parties in Parliament
- Strengthening the link between voter intention and the election of representatives
- Governments that consider all viewpoints before making a decision
- Increasing voter turnout
- Government with strong representation in every region
- Better representation of groups that are currently underrepresented in Parliament
- Increasing the presence of smaller parties in Parliament
How did we decode this survey? Visit MyCanadianDemocracy.ca to see Fair Vote Canada’s analysis of the survey.
Why choose proportional representation? Visit canadianlabour.ca/voting to learn more.