Charter Challenge for Fair Voting

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by | Published , updated Nov 6, 2024

Charter Challenge for Fair Voting is a collaboration between Springtide and Fair Voting BC started in early 2017.

Fair Voting BC is a non-partisan non-profit society that works for fair voting systems for all elections held in British Columbia – including federal, provincial, and municipal elections. They invited Springtide to partner on the project.

“Government majorities are typically manufactured by our voting system, not by the will of the people. Elections do not result in representative government, but near dictatorships”

Nick Loenen, one of FVBC’s founders, this concern was particularly acute following the 1996 election when the NDP government was elected for a second term with 39 percent of the popular vote. Loenen believes the imbalance between the legislature and the executive is “a considerable risk to democracy” and sees electoral reform as an opportunity to effect parliamentary reform. 

Fair Vote BC

Springtide is volunteer-run and led organization build educational programs (workshops and events) and resources (podcasts, videos, and articles) to support people who want to make public life more meaningful through their own participation in it.

A world where the people who seek and hold political power and influence are smart, empathic and effective stewards of the public good.

Funding

Since 2019, over 1400 Canadians have collectively contributed nearly $300,000 to get us this far – all the way from filing our Notice of Application in 2019 through to our upcoming appearance in the Appeal Court for Ontario.

Advisory board

The following individuals served on the advisory board for the Charter Challenge during initial stages of the project. 

  • Dr. J. Patrick Boyer, QC – Lawyer, professor, writer, former Progressive Conservative MP, expert on Electoral Law in Canada, ON
  • Annette Demers – Associate Dean, Law Library and Legal Research Services, University of Windsor, ON
  • Caitlin Urquhart – Associate Lawyer at Smyth Woodland Del Rizzo & Barrett, St. John’s, NL
  • Dr. Fred Cutler – Political Scientist, University of British Columbia, BC
  • Réal Lavergne – Former President, Fair Vote Canada, ON
  • Matt Risser – Co-author of Springtide’s discussion papers Better Choices: Voting System Alternative for Nova Scotia and Canada, NS

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