Consequences of Electoral Reform: Lessons for Canada

An informed policy debate about electoral reform in Canada must acknowledge the likely impact of any potential new system. Recent attention at the provincial level and from the Law Commission to a mixed electoral system warrants an examination of how such a system might alter Canadian politics. Although advocates of reform argue that proportional representation will increase proportionality, help smaller parties, increase the number of female representatives, increase turnout and improve attitudes toward politics, there is inconsistent evidence that a change in the electoral system alone would produce such changes. Although a mixed system would likely increase the proportionality of results, and would help smaller parties gain representation in any legislature, it may bring some unexpected findings as well. The following article identifies the claims of advocates we might expect to be true and those about which we should be more cautious.