2002:02 ELECTORAL REFORM / PROPORTIONAL REPRESENTATION
Whereas:
- A functioning democracy requires accurate representation of opinion, which means that the number of seats that a political party obtains should be in reasonable proportion to the number of votes it obtains; and,
- In our first-past-the-post system of elections, governments can get a majority of seats with a minority of votes; and,
- Other electoral systems such as proportional representation offer more power to the voter and give excellent representation to minorities:
RESOLVED:
- That the National Council of Women of Canada adopt as its policy support of the principle of electoral reform in government; and be it further
RESOLVED:
That the National Council of Women of Canada urge the Government of Canada to:
- Establish a Royal Commission to examine the current Canadian system of voting and systems used in other countries, including proportional representation, and to consult nationwide on the views of Canadians on this issue;
- Hold a referendum following the report of the Royal Commission to permit voters to choose among the systems considered the best of their types;
- Incorporate the system chosen into the constitution so that any major change to the electoral system thereafter, be required to be approved by a referendum.