Sim Gomery, Montreal for World Beyond War on April 27, 2023

Troubadour Wheelless French version below.

On April 24, 2023, Fair Vote Canada hosted a panel discussion on progress toward the Sisyphus task of holding the federal government to task for a citizen assembly on electoral reform. Congressman Mike Morris opened the webinar Motion for a National Assembly of Citizens About electoral reform. Morris, the Green Party MP for Kitchener Ontario, was joined by fellow congressmen Jenika Adwin (LBC, Fredericton NB) and Daniel Blakey (NDP, Elmwood-Transcona, Manitoba) and FVC Executive Director Anita Nickerson.

The numbers seem to indicate a trend: Morris’s motion was supported by nine MPs, representing all federal political parties. FVC extension Note with pride“For many of these MPs, this is the first time they have publicly supported electoral reform such as proportional representation or the National Citizens’ Assembly!”

No fewer than 600 people attended the webinar. We learned that a Citizens Assembly is a group of about 100 citizens randomly selected from the electoral roll. Those who agree to participate then form a group of equal numbers of men and women who together begin a four-part process that includes a learning phase, a consultation phase, a discussion phase, and a voting and reporting phase. At the end of this process, the AC makes recommendations to the Central Government on whether to undertake electoral reform for proportional representation. The advantages of CA are that it is unbiased and involves a long research phase for participants to make an informed recommendation. This is obviously quite different from a referendum, where all citizens are invited to vote on an issue they may or may not fully understand.

Why is this message important for democracy?

If Canada switches to a proportional representation system, Canada will become more democratic and egalitarian. Instead of a single party with proportional power, as is currently the case under a winner-take-all first-past-the-post system, we will have a coalition government in which two or more parties representing a majority of the electorate share power. Decisions based on compromise and consensus.

Why is this message important to peace activists?

In a more democratic Canada, the preferences of ordinary citizens carry more weight. War, massive military spending, the arms trade, submission to US hegemony, sanctions and other measures opposed by pacifists can easily be imposed on the public under proportional representative government. Compare foreign policy in countries with proportional representation such as the Netherlands, Germany, South Africa, Sweden, and Ireland.

These images from the FVC site reference studies that show that countries with proportional representation are less likely to participate in wars and conflicts and are less likely to engage in civil wars.

The most just government is the most peaceful government. Public relations is also good for other issues of interest to progressives, such as the environment, rights of nature, anti-racism, and social justice in general.

If you missed the webinar, there’s still a way to learn more about electoral reform so you can advocate for it. FVC is web pages 15th of every month; Consider dating one, and your grandkids might thank you for it.

De Cym Gomery, Montreal pour un monde sans guerre, April 27, 2023

On April 24, 2023, the Mouvement pour la representation equitable au Canada organized a roundtable on the progress made in the tâche sisyphéenne de convincencre le gouvernement fédéral de mandar une assembly citoyenne sur la réforme é. Ce webinare a été déclenché par Motion by Congressman Mike Morris en faveur d’une assembly citoyenne nationale sur la réforme électorale. M. Morris was accompanied by Deputy Vert de Kitchener (Ontario), his fellow delegates Jenika Atwin (PLC, Fredericton NB) and Daniel Blakey (NBT, Elmwood-Transcona, Manitoba) and FVC Executive Director Anita Nickerson.

Les chiffres semblint indicaire une Tendence: La motion de Morrice a été appetitue par neuf députés, representant tous les partis politiques fédéraux. The FVC notes, “per beaucoup de ses deputés, c’est la premier fois quills soutinent publication la representation partialelle o une assemblé nationale des citizens sur la reforme electorale”.

Pas Moines de 600 peers ant assiste au Webinaire. Nous avons apris qu’une Assemblye citoyenne est un groupe d’environ 100 citoyens choisis au hasard sur la liste electorale. Ceux qui accesent de particiber formement ensuete un groupe fams of a nombre egal d’hommes et de femmes, including a practice phase, a consultation phase, a discussion phase and a une face de poll in the quadre party. Ed de Compte Rendu. The output of this process is the AC making recommendations to the central government on the entrepreneurship of an electoral reform in favor of proportional representation. L’avantage d’une AC est qu’elle est impartial et qu’elle is étude afin que les participants puissent faire a recommendation en toute connaissance de Caus represents a long stage. Cela est evidently très différent d’un référendum, où tous les citoyens sont invitét à Voter sur una question qu’ils ne comprennée pas forcément très bien.

Pourquoi cette nouvelle est-elle importa pour la democratie?

If Canada switches to proportional representation, deviendrait plus democratique et plus equitable. Au lieu qu’un seul parti dispose d’un pouvoir disproportionné, comme c’est le cas actuellement avec le système uninominal majoritaire à un tour, nous aurions un gouvernement de coalition dans lequel deux reporite, major se partagerient le pouvoir et presendraient des resolutions Basically sur le compromis et le consensus.

Pourquoi cette nouvelle est-elle importa pour les pacifistes ?

In a more democratic Canada, les souhaits des citoyens ordinaires auraint plus de poids. War propaganda, massive military spending, the arms trade, submission to hegemony des états-unis, sanctions, and other aux qualès measures are opposed by pacifists who are too easily imposed on the public by disproportionate representation of government. Il suffit de compare la politique étrangère des pays à representation partitionnelle, comme les Pays-Bas, l’Allemagne, l’Afrique du Sud, la Suède, l’Irlande, pour n’en citer que quelques-unsques- sans representational partition, pour comprendre.

These pictures taken from the site of the FVC (en anglais) refer to the studies that show that the countries with proportional representation are less likely to participate in wars and conflicts.

Un gouvernement plus juste est un gouvernement plus pacifique. La representation partitionnelle serait égalementeutile pour d’autres questions chères aux progressivestes, telles que l’environnement, les droits de la nature, la lutte contre le racisme et la Justice sociale en général.

Drama!

Even if you miss the blog, you can still learn to advocate for electoral reform. FVC Arrangement Des web pages le 15 de chaque mois ; Pences a y assister, your petites enfunds foreynt vous en remercier.