Democracy Is all about Sharing Power

The Prime Minister warns us to beware of the “coalition threat”. The Leader of the Opposition swears he will not enter into a coalition. Is "coalition" a dirty word? Not to Canada's national citizens' movement for fair voting reform, which just released a map showing almost 70 countries around the world that currently have coalition governments, including Switzerland, Sweden, Norway, Germany, and the United Kingdom. The list makes the point that coalition and minority government are common in developed countries, most of which use proportional voting systems.

Bronwen Bruch, President of Fair Vote Canada says . "We think it's normal in this country for one political party to have all the power, even though most people voted against them.  Our winner-take-all voting system gives phony 'majority' governments to political parties with as little as 38% of the votes. But time and time again we see that single-party monopoly government leads to arrogance and corruption, whether it's a Liberal, Conservative, or NDP government.

"If we want politics to be different, we need a vote that makes a difference," she adds. "Proportional voting systems give each party power in proportion to the votes they receive. Since no party gets a majority of the votes, no party gets a majority of the seats. Parties must cooperate to get things done. It creates a more consensual type of government, and a more civilized style of politics."

"Once a party has a phony majority in Parliament, they are completely unaccountable," adds Wayne Smith, Executive Director of Fair Vote Canada. "As long as they maintain rigid party discipline, nothing bad can happen, so that's what they do. The Prime Minister of Canada has been described as an 'elected dictator', and Canadians are beginning to see that. More and more of them are demanding the power to hold political parties accountable, and are joining our movement for fair voting reform.

Join the thousands who are coming to the Fair Vote Canada  website and sign the  Declaration of Voters' Rights.