Voter led reform revisited in House of Commons last week with motion to establish ‘citizens assembly’
A motion for electoral reform which builds on the work of Mike Morrice, Green Party MP for Kitchener Centre, had its first debate in the House of Commons on November 7th.
Motion 86 seeks to establish a national “Citizens’ Assembly” which would investigate alternatives to Canada’s first past the post electoral system, and inform the government on which proportional systems would best reflect the needs and preferences of the people in Canada.
The motion was brought forward by NDP MP Lisa Marie Barron (Nanaimo-Ladysmith) and built on the work of Mike Morrice, Green Party MP for Kitchener Centre who was the first to second the motion back in June. Morrice’s second was followed by 18 other seconders from the NDP, Liberal, and Conservative parties, including Bardish Chagger of the Waterloo riding.
This cross party collaboration is exactly what Fair Vote Canada, one of the grassroots organizations which contributed to the motion, hopes will become standard operations in governments under an electoral system based on proportional representation.
The radio show features interviews with Kitchener Centre MP Mike Morrice, and Evan Rosamond, the co-chair of the Fair Vote Canada chapter for Waterloo Region.