The Canadian Electoral System

e0rThe Canadian Electoral System

First Past the Post and Mixed Member Proportional

Daniel Taylor Political Science 1120-S10 8 August 2012

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Introduction

The majority of voters (66.7%) in the Newton-North Delta electorate are unrepresented in parliament. In the 2011 general election NDP candidate Jinny Sims defeated her opposing candidates Sukh Dhaliwal (Liberal) and Mani Fallon (Conservative) by receiving only 33.3% of the vote. (Elections Canada n.d.) However, since she was still the candidate who received the majority of the votes, under the current First-Past-the Post electoral system she was elected to parliament. This is just one of many examples of how in an election, situations may arise where the electoral system may fall short of ideal. The First Past the Post (FPTP) system has benefits, but it also has disadvantages, and comparison to the Mixed Member Proportional system may point the way to the resolution of such situations.

First-Past-the-Post

The Canadian Electoral System

Modeled on aspects of the British Westminster system, the Canadian electoral system plays an important role in the modern democracy of Canada. It allows Canadian citizens the opportunity to become elected and represent their respective electoral districts as a Member of Parliament (MP) in the House of Commons. Following the election, elected MPs are asked to form a government that is both responsible for its actions to the legislature and able to retain confidence of the house. In practice MPs join together along ideological lines and form political parties.

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How First-Past-the-Post works

The electoral system currently employed in Canadian federal politics is known as first-past-thepost. In the FPTP system, the candidate who receives the most votes (but not necessarily the majority) wins the electorate and becomes a Member of Parliament. A government can be formed if a political party is able to earn either a majority of seats (50%+1 or 154 seats), or...