Seeking Change Through Electoral Reform: Ontario’s MMP Referendum
By Michelle Dagnino
On October 10, 2007, Ontarians will have the opportunity to inject a measure of proportional representation into the province's electoral system by voting in a referendum on the Mixed Member Proportional system, or MMP.
A. Inequities of the Current System
Proponents of the MMP system argue that it would assist in increasing the number of women, minorities and Aboriginal persons in the provincial legislature. The MMP system is used successfully in New Zealand, Germany, Scotland and Wales, resulting in stable coalition governments in which more women play partner roles. Canada is one of the few modern democracies with the Westminster model of electing legislators from local ridings. Canada also stands 48th in the world with respect to the percentage of women MPs in the House of Commons (just under 21%). Canada’s standing is unlikely to improve in the near future as the number of women running in elections has declined in recent years. Advocates for MMP emphasize that many of the decisions that impact women disproportionately – such as child care, home care, and reproductive choice – currently lie largely in the hands of men. As such, they argue that increasing the number of women in the legislature would contribute to more fair and representative social and economic policies.
B. How MMP Would Work
After studying different proportional representation systems, the Citizens' Assembly on Electoral Reform (103 Ontarians randomly chosen by Elections Ontario) recommended MMP as a moderate change to Ontario’s electoral system. A majority of MPPs (90) would still be elected to represent ridings, and a minority (39) would be elected by proportional representation. Each voter would cast two votes: one for a local candidate to represent their riding and one for a party to represent their interests. Each party would receive a number of seats that is proportional to the percentage of party votes. These would include the local seats won by members of their party in specific ridings. The rest would be allocated to legislators who would not represent specific ridings but rather the party as a whole. These legislators would be drawn from the top of a ranked list of candidates chosen by each party.
Since parties would be required to make their lists public, MMP Advocates have argued that no party would likely present a list that did not include a fair gender balance and a fair proportion of visible minority candidates. As such, under MMP, the composition of the legislature and the government likely would more fairly represent the actual makeup of the population. There are currently only 26 women in the 103-seat provincial legislature (25 %) and only eight MPPs who are from visible minority groups. Both figures are half what they should be based on provincial demographics.
The October 10, 2007 referendum will be closely watched across the country as a vote in favour of MMP in Ontario could revitalize efforts to achieve some form of proportional representation in Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, Quebec and British Columbia. The government has set a high bar for the referendum to succeed – 60 per cent of the votes in 60 per cent of ridings must be cast in favour of the new system. For further information, see: Elections Canada’s special website – www.yourbigdecision.ca; the Citizen’s Assembly on Electoral Reform website at www.citizensassembly.gov.on.ca; and the Equal Voice in Politics website at www.equalvoiceinpolitics.ca.