Fair Vote Canada

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Fair Vote Canada is a nonprofit, multi-partisan advocacy group for electoral reform in Canada. A similarily named organization exists within the United States (see "Center for Voting and Democracy") It is active both federally and in those provinces where there are efforts to reform the first past the post system that is used now in Canada. 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." One of its major campaigns has been a petition calling on the Government of Canada and all other Parliamentary parties to "1) initiate a public consultation on instituting a more proportional voting system, and 2) provide Canadians with a referendum process to choose the best voting system."

While it steers away from advocacy of any particular voting system, Fair Vote Canada has spoken out on several of the initiatives that have come out of the Canadian provinces. The group evaluates each initiative based on its statement of principles, which states that any electoral reform should achieve the five objectives of proportional representation, fair representation for women, minorities, and Aboriginals, accountable government, geographic representation, and real voter choice.

In March 2005 FVC issued assessments of the four provincial proposals. On the British Columbia electoral reform referendum, 2005 it recommended that British Columbians vote “Yes,” that they consider this the first step in a continuing reform process, and that they press for further improvements to increase proportionality and enhance diversity. For Quebec, FVC said the MMP framework provided a very good foundation on which to build a fair voting system, but the current proposal must be greatly improved, and it urged a citizen-driven process to improve the proposal. It has been very supportive of the Citizens' Assembly process for the Ontario electoral reform referendum, 2007, while recommending some improvements to the process.

Fair Vote Canada also maintains provincial campaigns in Ontario (since 2002) and Alberta (since 2006) to campaign for electoral reform in those respective provinces. This is in contrast to independent groups in both British Columbia and Quebec who have similar goals, but are not a part of Fair Vote Canada.

Fair Vote Canada strives to maintain a nation-wide, multi-partisan support base, with members from all points on the political spectrum, all regions and all walks of life. Its National Advisory Board includes prominent Conservatives, Liberals and New Democrats, as do many chapter executives. Rick Anderson, former advisor to Preston Manning was elected to the group's board at the federal level in 2006, the first prominent conservative at that level since the 2004 resignation of Bruce Hallsor.