Newly elected premier Dalton McGuinty's pledge to hold a binding referendum on a new voting system before the next election may spell the end of Ontario's first-past- the-post system.

The Liberal platform stated: "You will decide how elections work...After consulting with the public, we will hold a referendum on whether we should keep our winner- take-all voting system or replace it with another. Alternatives to our voting system could include some form of proportional representation, preferential ballots or mixed systems."

BREATH-TAKING DISTORTIONS IN ONTARIO ELECTION RESULTS

As usual, what the voters said at the ballot box is not what they got. Compared to the last election, the Liberals enjoyed a modest increase in the popular vote (from 40% up to 46%), but the voting system awarded them a whopping increase in seats (from 34% to 70%). In a proportional system, the Liberals would have had about 48 seats and a minority government, rather than a 72-seat majority government.

The Tories suffered a drop in the popular vote (from 45% down to 35%), but the system punished them by taking away more than half their seats (from 57% to down to 23%). In a proportional system, the Tories would have had about 35 seats rather than 24.

The NDP actually increased their popular vote (from 12 % to 14%) but saw their seats decrease (from 9 to 7), jeopardizing their official party status. In a proportional system, the NDP would have had about 14 seats. The Green Party attracted about 3% of the vote. Under a proportional system, the Greens would have gained about 3 seats.

PROPORTIONAL REPRESENTATION MOTION DRAWS SUPPORT OF NDP,
ALLIANCE AND BLOC

The NDP motion in Parliament on Sept. 30 for a national referendum on proportional representation attracted surprisingly strong opposition party support. Tabled by NDP MP Lorne Nystrom, the motion marked the first time since 1923 that the House voted on the issue of proportional representation.

The Alliance and Bloc MPs, along with three Liberal MPs joined the NDP voting in favour of the motion. The Liberal caucus, as expected, voted overwhelmingly against the motion, which was defeated 145-75.

"Despite the expected defeat, the push for a national referendum on a more proportional voting system is certainly gaining momentum," said Doris Anderson, president of Fair Vote Canada. "The range of MPs supporting the motion illustrates the growing multi-partisan support for a fair voting system. We commend MPs Lorne Nystrom of the NDP and Ted White of the Alliance, both of whom serve on the FVC National Advisory Board, for their continuing support on this issue."

P.E.I. HOLDS MOST DISTORTED ELECTION IN CANADA THIS YEAR

The election in Prince Edward Island on Sept. 29 set two records: 1) the Progressive Conservatives won a third consecutive majority for the first time; and 2) PEI gained the dubious honour of having the most distorted provincial election outcome this year.

"As many Islanders are well aware, Canada's first-past-the-post voting system can wildly distort what voters say at the ballot box," explained Doris Anderson, president of Fair Vote Canada. "Some parties gain a much higher portion of seats than their portion of the popular vote. Others parties are penalized with far fewer seats than they deserve. Unfortunately, PEI has some of the most distorted outcomes in Canada, with the opposition being severely under-represented."

The distortion rate in the PEI election was 31% -- that is, the gap between the 54% of the popular vote and the 85% of the legislature seats won by the government.

By comparison, the distortion rate in the Ontario election was 24%, while in Quebec it was 15%, in Manitoba and Nova Scotia 12%, and in New Brunswick 6%.

"With Premier Binns returning to office, we hope to see renewed consideration of alternative voting systems based on proportional representation," said Larry Gordon, executive director of Fair Vote Canada. "While Quebec and British Columbia are also engaged in studying the alternatives, PEI still has an opportunity to lead the nation in voting system reform. We encourage Premier Binns to continue this important assessment process."