Quebec pulls back from electoral reform
Just as Justin Trudeau did in his first term, after promising to undertake electoral reform to make election results fairer and more representative than the first-past-the-post system we’ve been stuck with since Canada was launched, François Legault has also pulled the plug on a promised 2022 referendum on electoral reform in Quebec.
Sonia LeBel is pleading pandemic delays, but a sitting government with a majority (as Trudeau had in his first term, and as Legault has now) is always going to balk at making a change that’s likely to reduce its seats.
Bill Binns 07:28 on 2021-04-29 Permalink
To be fair, we have been”stuck with it” since the Greeks invented democracy.
Tim F 07:42 on 2021-04-29 Permalink
A) I thought the Athenians had direct democracy, not representative democracy. So no first-past-the-post elections.
B) I like to think we’ve evolved in other ways since Classic Greece: voting rights for women, abolishing slavery, citizenship to people who haven’t served in the military…
Tim S. 08:02 on 2021-04-29 Permalink
Greek democracy also used lotteries to chose people for various positions and assemblies. I always thought having a lottery to appoint the Senate would be an interesting idea. Of course, an Athenian jury also condemned Socrates, so nothing’s perfect.
Daisy 12:07 on 2021-04-29 Permalink
That’s called sortition and it sounds quite promising to me, ever since I read the book Against Elections by David Van Reybrouck.
qatzelok 12:29 on 2021-04-29 Permalink
The Greeks didn’t invent democracy – they just gave Europeans a European word to describe it.
And “Democracy” is not what First-Past-the-Post is. FPTP is more like the coronation of a demographic game winner. Who can isolate 39.8 % of the electorate with particular memes, and win the jackpot?!
**spins wheel**