Fair Vote Canada

Fair Vote Canada (FVC) (French: Represéntation équitable au Canada) is a grassroots, nonprofit, multi-partisan citizens' movement for electoral reform in Canada.[2] Headquartered in Kitchener, Ontario,[3] it promotes the introduction of an element of proportional representation for elections at all levels of government and throughout civil society, instead of the first-past-the-post electoral system currently used at all levels of government in Canada.[4]

Fair Vote Canada
FoundedJuly 27, 2001
FounderChris Billows, Doug Bailie and Larry Gordon
FocusElectoral reform in Canada, proportional representation
Location
Area served
Canada
Key people
Websitewww.fairvote.ca

Purpose

Its aim is "to gain broad, multi-partisan support for an independent, citizen-driven process to allow Canadians to choose a fair voting system based on the principles that all voters are equal, and that every vote must count." Fair Vote Canada does not advocate for any particular form of proportional representation, but has been involved in the design and discussion of different models from a made-in-Canada perspective.

It has worked to mobilize its supporters in support of proportional representation in the context of several initiatives coming out of the Canadian provinces, and was one of the prime drivers of citizens' engagement federally as part of the public consultation process in 2016.

The organization is guided by a statement of purpose identifying five goals:[5]

History

Fair Vote Canada was created in June 2001, following a founding conference in Ottawa. It is a membership organization headed by a national council of 15 members and has chapters and action teams across the country.

Over the years, it has:

  • organized events, tables and presentations
  • written letters, articles and op-eds
  • educated and lobbied MPs and politicians
  • pulled together research and worked with academics
  • participated in six referendum campaigns (two in PEI, one in Ontario and three in BC)
  • maintained a strong social media presence through its website and on Facebook and Twitter

Additionally, it has submitted briefs to numerous electoral reform committees and commissions.[6][7]

In British Columbia and Quebec, there exist parallel organizations, Fair Voting BC and Mouvement Démocratie Nouvelle respectively, which are independent of Fair Vote Canada but share similar goals. Fair Vote Canada collaborates closely with these organizations.

Fair Vote Canada strives to maintain a nationwide, multi-partisan support base, with members from all points on the political spectrum, regions and walks of life. Its work is endorsed by its National Advisory Board, which includes prominent Conservatives, Liberals, New Democrats, and Greens.[8] It supports political parties and politicians that share its aspirations for electoral reform.

Documentation

Fair Vote Canada maintains a Review of Evidence[9] based on comparative research about countries with different types of electoral systems and tracks the various Commissions, Assemblies and Reports[9] that have been produced in Canada and its provinces over the years. Fair Vote Canada's "Resources" webpage[10] provides a wide range of public education materials.

Democracy Day
Main article: Democracy Day (Canada)

On August 2, 2011, Fair Vote Canada launched Democracy Day and Democracy Week in Canada[11] annual events encouraging participation, education, and celebration of Canadian democracy. In its first year events were held by different groups[12] in cities across Canada.[13] Fair Vote Canada designated Democracy Day to be Canada's celebration of the United Nations International Day of Democracy[14] and Democracy Week to be the seven-day calendar week in which Democracy Day falls[15] (September 15 each year). A number of Canadian non-profit and governmental organizations participate in and promote the events, including Elections Canada.[16]

See also

References
  1. "Contact Us!". Fair Vote Canada. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
  2. "About Fair Vote Canada". Fair Vote Canada. Retrieved August 20, 2011.
  3. "Contact Us!". Fair Vote Canada. Retrieved April 21, 2019.
  4. Pilon, Dennis (August 2007). The Politics of Voting: Reforming Canada's Electoral System. Emond Publishing. p. 89.
  5. "Fair Vote Canada Statement of Purpose" (PDF). Fair Vote Canada. August 21, 2009. Retrieved June 21, 2018.
  6. Fair Vote Canada. "Fair Vote Canada Submission to The Special Parliamentary Committee on Electoral Reform" (PDF). Special Committee on Electoral Reform. Parliament of Canada. Retrieved 16 April 2019.
  7. Fair Vote Canada BC. "Submission to the BC Public Consultations for a Referendum on Proportional Representation" (PDF). How We Vote. Government of British Columbia. Retrieved 16 April 2019.
  8. "Contact".
  9. "A Look at the Evidence - 2020-09-04".
  10. "Handouts and References".
  11. "Fair Vote Canada Newsletter August 2011". Fair Vote Canada. 2 August 2011. Retrieved September 16, 2011.
  12. "Invitation aux médias - 15 septembre Journée de la démocratie". Mouvement pour une démocratie nouvelle (MDN). Retrieved September 16, 2011.
  13. "Fair Vote Canada Launches Democracy Week". Fair Vote Canada. Retrieved September 16, 2011.
  14. "International Day of Democracy". United Nations. Retrieved September 16, 2011.
  15. "Happy Democracy Day, Canada! Or Is it?". Huffington Post Canada. 15 September 2011. Retrieved September 16, 2011.
  16. "PR: Young Canadians Invited to Create "The Art of Democracy"". Elections Canada. Retrieved September 16, 2011.

Further reading

Archival holdings
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