CTF Ontario office releases paper on electoral reform

Filling the Accountability Gap (The CTF's report on electoral reform -- 309 KB)

Toronto: The Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) Ontario Division today presented its submission to the provincial Select Committee on Electoral Reform at Queen's Park. Entitled "Filling the Accountability Gap", the report recommends that Ontario move from the first-past-the-post electoral system to one that provides greater proportionality and makes MPPs more accountable to taxpayers.

"The goal here is accountability. Ontarians are sick and tired of politicians who don't keep promises and don't represent their constituents' interests," said Tasha Kheiriddin, CTF Ontario Director. "We need a Parliament that more accurately reflects voters' intentions, and allows for less party discipline and more democracy."

The current government holds 70 per cent of the seats in the Legislature, yet garnered only 46.5 per cent of the popular vote. These kinds of disparities have manifested themselves over the past six elections; the lowest percentage of votes obtained to form a majority government was 37.6 per cent by the NDP in 1990.

The CTF recommends that Ontario adopt an electoral model based on the Single Transferable Vote (STV) and/or Alternative Vote (AV). These models allow voters to vote for candidates, not parties, and mark their ballot in order of preference. Such systems egender a closer link between MPPs and voters, result in fewer wasted votes, and better represent all people, including rural ridings.

The CTF also advocates the adoption of recall laws, to allow voters to hold MPPs accountable between elections if they are in serious breach of their promises or of the public trust. Recall legislation already exists in British Columbia. A recall campaign prompted the resignation of MLA Paul Reitsma in 1988 after it was revealed that he had written letters praising himself to the editor of a local paper under an assumed name.

"Ontarians want to know that MPPs will hold their office to the highest standards, and keep their word," said Kheiriddin. "If Ontario had had recall legislation, the CTF wouldn't have had to go to court last year when Mr. McGuinty broke his pledge to taxpayers. Citizens would have had the power to act on their own and hold him to account."

The full text of the CTF report can be viewed online at www.taxpayer.com