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NDP
and Greens would blossom under proportional representation The Green Party and the NDP, the two parties calling most strongly for a form of proportional representation in federal elections, would have benefited most if proportional representation had been part of Monday's election. On a national level, the NDP won 15.7 per cent of the vote but captured only 6.2 per cent (19) of the seats. The Greens got 4.3 per cent of the vote but zero seats. The Liberals with 36.7 per cent of the vote got 43.8 per cent (135) of the seats while the Conservatives, with 29.6 per cent of the popular vote got 32.1 per cent (99) of the seats. The Bloc Quebecois, with 12.4 peer cent of the total vote, concentrated in Quebec, wound up with 17.5 per cent (54) of the seats. If proportional representation had been in effect, the result would have seen four parties with respectable results. The Liberals would have wound up with 113 seats, the Conservatives with 92, the NDP with 48, the BQ with 38 and the Greens with 13. There would have four seats for independents and other parties. While forms of proportional representation vary around the world, the idea is to match as closely as possible, the percentage of votes cast for a party with the percentage of seats a party would assume after an election. Proportional representation was not mentioned in Liberal and Conservative platforms but it was a major plank in both Green and NDP campaigns. The Greens touted proportional representation as ensuring that voter participation would increase and that more women and more candidates from visible minorities would be elected. The NDP platform called for a national referendum on proportional representation and leader Jack Layton said after the election he would pursue that objective as a key player in a Liberal minority government. Fair Vote Canada is a leading proponent of a change in the elections system to proportional representation, executive director Larry Gordon describing the current system as "dubious democracy". Gordon argues that under the current "first-past-the-post" voting system, millions of votes are "wasted" in national elections. "Make every vote count and the voter participation rate will increase." |
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Peaceful Communities is reaching more people! The Grassroots Review |
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