Sunday November 9, 2025 | VICTORIA, BC [Posted at 2:21 pm PT]
Political news analysis | by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends
“This is a moment to believe in democracy again,” is how the Green Party of Canada opens their latest fundraising email.
It brings to mind how it’s human nature to not think a thing is possible if one hasn’t seen it before.
Older Canadians remember a world where democracy — or at least the components of it — were active in Canadian and international politics. That would include the creation of the United Nations in 1945 (essentially founded o common principles of policy set forth by Britain and the United States) and the fall of the Berlin wall in 1989 (ultimately by a wave of mass protests in East Germany but precluded by the United States in an inspirational speech by President Ronald Reagan in 1987).
There is so much systematization in today’s political dynamics that on the public-facing side it is essentially political theatre. A lot of activity goes on behind the scenes in government and political parties and it’s become a system of showing the public only a glimpse of what really goes on.
Proportional representation:
The premise behind electoral reform is that a broader cross-section of society and political mindsets or parties are representatives in a governing body. Proportional representation has been the predominant voting and governance system in Europe for decades:
- Currently 28 countries use Party List Proportional Representation: Albania, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Moldova, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.
- Ireland, Malta, Germany, Andorra, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, North Macedonia, Monaco, San Marino and Ukraine have various types of proportional representation in their voting systems.
Meanwhile it should be noted that England and France — the two original immigrant founding cultures of Canada — have systems that stand out as different from the rest of Europe:
- In England the House of Commons, mayoral elections, Police and Crime Commissioner elections and local councils in England and Wales all use the first-past-the-post system. Voters select their preferred candidate. The candidate with the most votes wins. For the House of Commons The party with the most winning candidates forms government (as we do in Canada).
- France is a unitary semi-presidential republic with a bicameral legislature; the president is elected directly by the citizens (with a second round of voting if a majority is not at first achieved) as is the national assembly. Both levels served for five-year terms which has run concurrently since 2002.
And in Canada our way of life and our politics is so overshadowed by the strident two-party political system of the United State that we can hardly believe that electoral reform could work — because we don’t see it in our face every day. We have also accepted first-past-the-post largely two-party system for so long that we don’t find it unusual that the parties choose a leader who becomes prime minister (voters do not directly vote for prime minister in Canada).
A referendum on electoral reform in British Columbia failed in part due to complex presentation, but primarily because Canada’s economy and culture is still largely based on winner-take-all.
As one political pundit put it years ago to Island Social Trends: First-past-the-post in Canada is a safeguard to ‘kick the bums out’ if a government is not serving well the people.
Green Party approach:
Safeguarding Canada’s Democracy is a national campaign for electoral reform launched this month by the Green Party of Canada.
“Electoral reform isn’t a political project, it’s a patriotic one,” according to the Greens. “It’s how we make sure Canada stays Canada: fair, stable and strong in a time of global uncertainty.” | See: Strong Democracy
The Greens insist that Canada’s current voting system isn’t fair. “A party can win total power with less than half the votes. Millions of votes don’t count.” The Greens propose:
- Create a Citizens’ Assembly to help guide these changes
- Change to a proportional representation voting system where every vote counts
- Let young people start voting at age 16
- Restore the per-vote subsidy so small parties can compete fairly with big parties
Fundraising goal in foreshadow of possible December election:
The Green Party of Canada fundraising goal is $185,392 by November 30, 2025. The party admits that is ambitious goal. There is no explanation as to the specific dollar amount of the goal.
The is a slim chance that Canadians could be heading to the polls for a Christmas season election, if the Budget 2025 vote fails in the House of Commons in mid-November.
The Liberal minority government needs just two more votes to secure passage of their budget bill, which (given that the Conservatives and The Bloc have stated their opposition to the budget) is likely going to be comprised of two NDP MPs, or one Green and one NDP.
===== RELATED:
- Alberta Conservative MP Jeneroux resigns ahead of federal budget vote (November 6, 2025)
- Budget-day boost: Conservatives lose one MP to the Liberals (November 5, 2025)
- Conservatives to bring forward Budget 2025 amendment (November 5, 2025)
- NDP votes are needed to pass Liberal Budget 2025 (November 5, 2025)
- Editorial – What Canadians might hope for in Liberal Budget 2025 (November 4, 2025)
- Electoral reform: Elections Canada to be ready at any time (May 29, 2025)
- NEWS SECTIONS: GREEN PARTY | EDITORIALS | 45th PARLIAMENT of CANADA | CANADA-NATIONAL | LIBERAL PARTY | CONSERVATIVE PARTY | BUDGET 2025