Part 4. Conclusion

The discourse about electoral system reform in Canada, both at the federal or provincial levels, no longer focuses almost solely on “fair” party representation. As this paper demonstrates, the critiques of the present system, and particularly the reform proposals put forward by researchers and advocacy groups, reflect additional objectives related to improved representation, citizen participation and governance. These objectives are rooted in citizen values that favour the reflection of diversity in public institutions, greater public involvement and enhanced government responsiveness. Those who defend the status quo have their own objectives; some of these, such as protecting governments’ capacity to “get things done,” also have considerable public support.

Electoral reform advocates make a number of claims about the potential impact of adopting a PR or mixed electoral system. It is reasonable to suggest that electoral rules that led to enhanced access to elected office, notably for women, would mean that legislatures would reflect more accurately the face of Canada. Greater representation for smaller and newer parties would bring new voices into political forums. This, in turn, could enrich public debate and improve the responsiveness of governments. However, a great deal would turn on the capacity to negotiate relatively solid inter-party agreements (or coalitions) that could secure effective government and accommodate divisions within society.

One of the principal conclusions of this paper, drawing on experience in other Westminster systems since the mid-1990s, is that the expected benefits of electoral reform, instituted on its own, may be somewhat over-stated. Proportional electoral systems can have a positive impact on gender representation. However, measures adopted by political parties are a key to ensuring that sufficient women are nominated in the first place. Similarly, the factors explaining disaffection with political institutions and the electoral process, reflected in part in declining election turnout, extend well beyond the impact of the current electoral rules. Electoral system reform could help bring a wider range of voices into the political process, but it would not, on its own, rectify other weaknesses in representative government that are part of the reason for that disaffection.

While it is difficult to imagine the conditions for electoral reform being met at the federal level in the foreseeable future, political commitments and the activities of advocacy groups could move the issue up the public agenda in one or more provinces. Whatever the prospects of reform, the renewed debate on electoral system reform is most welcome. Canada can certainly benefit from richer public debate on issues of representation and civic participation, and researchers, advocacy organizations and elected representatives all have a valuable role to play. Indeed, civil society organizations, such as those profiled in this paper, are already making a worthwhile contribution through activities to foster citizen understanding and by underlining the importance of inclusive processes to develop models that reflect their jurisdictions’ particular circumstances.

The electoral reform debate is also welcome because it raises significant issues for a larger agenda to improve democratic governance in Canada. There are some signs this is taking shape. For example, enhancing Canadians’ trust in public institutions is a central objective of the “action plan” on government ethics that Prime Minister Chrétien announced in June 2002 (Canada, Prime Minister, 2002). On civic participation, the potential benefits of civic literacy and citizenship education programs are being recognized (Milner, 2001: 20-26). For the past several years, the federal and a number of provincial governments have been attempting to build new relationships with the voluntary sector (Laforest and Phillips, 2001). At the same time, governments seem reluctant to provide greater opportunities for meaningful public involvement (Phillips and Orsini, 2002) or to strengthen the role of elected representatives through significant parliamentary reform.

All these areas and others deserve attention as part of a renewed dialogue on the means to enhance democratic processes in Canada – a dialogue that takes a broad perspective and recognizes the interplay of citizen values, channels for representation and the contribution of various public bodies to sound governance. The current debate on electoral system reform is laying the groundwork for such a dialogue. Whether or not such reform eventually takes place, Canadians are being challenged to come forward and help shape changes that will enhance citizen participation and confidence in political institutions.