Binding referendum on electoral system
Petitioners ask the Government to legislate a binding national referendum by the next federal election asking Canadians whether to retain First‑Past‑the‑Post or adopt a new system designed via public consultation.
Why we would sign this petition
- Gives Canadians a direct, binding choice on whether to keep FPTP, increasing democratic legitimacy for any change.
- Requires public consultation to design alternatives, promoting informed debate and broader public input on electoral options.
- Sets a specific deadline (before the next election), ensuring the issue is addressed promptly rather than postponed.
Why we wouldn’t sign this petition
- A national referendum may oversimplify complex electoral design choices into a binary yes/no question, limiting nuanced options.
- Referendums can be influenced by short-term politics and misinformation, risking an outcome that doesn't reflect informed preference.
- Binding national referendums may be costly and divisive, and other reforms (like parliamentary reform or citizen assemblies) might be preferable.
The summary and both sets of reasons are AI-generated from the petition and given equal weight. Claims are the petitioners’ own; consult the official record for the full text.
Official petition
Petition to the Government of Canada Canada’s First-Past-the-Post (FPTP) electoral system regularly produces governments that do not reflect the popular vote; In the 2021 federal election, the governing party received less than 33% of the vote, yet won a plurality of seats; Millions of votes in every election do not contribute to electing a Member of Parliament; Voter turnout has declined and many Canadians feel their votes do not matter; A national conversation on electoral reform is long overdue; The 2016 Special Committee on Electoral Reform recommended that a referendum be held to let Canadians decide the future of our electoral system; Most Canadians support a referendum before any change is made to our voting system; and Successive governments have expressed fear or reluctance to change the current system, despite clear public interest in reform. We, the undersigned, citizens of Canada, call upon the Government of Canada to legislate a binding national referendum to be held no later than the next federal election, asking Canadians whether to retain the current First-Past-the-Post electoral system or adopt a new electoral system, the design of which shall be determined through a public consultation process.
Government response
No government response is available yet.