End of the First-Past-the Post Electoral System?
By Canadian Parliamentary Review
- Release Date: 1999-09-22
- Genre: Law
Description
All federal, provincial and territorial elections in Canada use the first-past-the-post electoral system. However, this system is coming under increased criticism due to the disparity between popular votes and seats won in the Assembly. This article makes the case for electoral reform. It is no secret to anyone that an increasingly dim view is being taken of politicians within our parliamentary institutions. A 1995 poll indicated that only 4% of the population trusted them.(1) The same is true in other western democracies. The unpopular image of our elected representatives prompted the philosopher Charles Taylor to say that in all western countries, there is a new orthodoxy that regards all politicians as corrupt.(2)
