Political System

Why we need MMP in Ontario

October 2007

This to some will be a strange assertion having just completed a referendum which, in the view of many pundits, was soundly defeated.  However, in a recent study, researchers, Fred Cutler and Patrick Fournier of UBC and the Université de Montréal respectively noted that had the public been adequately informed “the result would have been 63 per cent for MMP and 37 per cent for the existing system - exactly the mirror image of the actual outcome”.

The study, carried out from September 10 to October 9, indicated that voters were not fully informed about either the new system or the citizen’s assembly: a disappointing, yet hopeful conclusion for those who want reform.

In spite of all this, it is only a matter of time before we change to a proportional system. Yes, MMP is not perfect. No system is. But this MMP was designed for Ontario by a group of citizens. This model in comparison with most proportional systems is very conservative. It keeps Ontario traditions and brings us closer to the world norm; it is a start.  It is a lot better than what we have now.

The study also said that people do not see a problem with our current system, first past the post (FPTP). However, people are frustrated as this statement from the main page of the Ecopolitics site demonstrates: "’Sustainability and quality of life’ have become merely vogue words to advance political platforms and placate naive and ever hopeful voters into thinking changes have been made, when no progress actually occurs. Empty rhetoric develops into broken promises.” People do not yet see the connection been that frustration and our outdated voting system.

The majority of the world’s countries use a form of Proportional Representation (PR)—over 80—this includes all the European countries and many of those in South America. Only 40 countries retain our system, most of which are in former British colonies primarily in Africa and the Caribbean. No new country chooses our system.  Even the UK, the home of FPTP, is changing. Scotland, Wales, Ireland and North Ireland all use a form of PR for their devolved parliaments and even the UK uses PR to elect their representatives to the European Union. That leaves Canada and the USA as the only major western democracies still using this system.

Our system is considered one of the most dysfunctional in the world in terms of translating voters’ intentions into legislature votes.  What this means is that voters’ policy preferences are not reflected in the legislature and in the resulting laws that govern us. Most people living in PR countries would think it highly undemocratic that a party getting only 40 to 45% of the vote, (that is our norm) often gets 60 to 70% of the seats and all the power.

It gives almost presidential; some would say dictatorial, powers to the leader. So most of the time, a leader in an FPTP system does not have to negotiate with other parties to get what is all too often their personal likes and dislikes put into legislation.

As well, many consider our system to be unstable. We have policy lurch where policy enacted by a Rae-NDP government is overturned by a Mike Harris government, which in turn is reversed by Dalton McGuinty’s Liberals. This is very a costly and erratic way to run the state.  Parties plan from one election cycle to the next, rarely looking to the long term. Proportional governments in most countries (Italy and Israel are the exceptions for cultural reasons) seem almost glacial in comparison, with usually minor shifts in coalition partners at each election so they can look beyond the next election to plan for the long run.

It is no accident that we have a weak environmental policy in North America. Environmental parties such as the Greens will not get the seats citizen intend them to have as long as we continue to retain our antiquated system where the larger parties get more seats than they deserve. Without a change in how we elect politicians, there will be little inducement or incentive for parties to progress on environmental issues.

For all our sakes, we need MMP.

June Macdonald
Acting Chair of Fair Vote Ontario