Fair Vote Canada (FVC) (french: Represéntation équitable au Canada) is a grassroots,

nonprofit A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

, multi-partisan citizens' movement for electoral reform in Canada. Headquartered in Kitchener, Ontario, it promotes the introduction of an element of

proportional representation Proportional representation (PR) refers to a type of electoral system under which subgroups of an electorate are reflected proportionately in the elected body. The concept applies mainly to geographical (e.g. states, regions) and political divis ...

for elections at all levels of government and throughout civil society, instead of the

first-past-the-post In a first-past-the-post electoral system (FPTP or FPP), formally called single-member plurality voting (SMP) when used in single-member districts or informally choose-one voting in contrast to ranked voting, or score voting, voters cast the ...

electoral system An electoral system or voting system is a set of rules that determine how elections and referendums are conducted and how their results are determined. Electoral systems are used in politics to elect governments, while non-political elections m ...

currently used at all levels of government in Canada.

Purpose

Its aim is "to gain broad, multi-partisan support for an independent, citizen-driven process to allow Canadians to choose a fair voting system based on the principles that all voters are equal, and that every vote must count." Fair Vote Canada does not advocate for any particular form of proportional representation, but has been involved in the design and discussion of different models from a made-in-Canada perspective. It has worked to mobilize its supporters in support of proportional representation in the context of several initiatives coming out of the Canadian provinces, and was one of the prime drivers of citizens' engagement federally as part of the public consultation process in 2016. The organization is guided by a statement of purpose identifying five goals: *

* positive voter choice * fair representation * geographic representation * government accountability to voters

History

Fair Vote Canada was created in June 2001, following a founding conference in Ottawa. It is a membership organization headed by a national council of 15 members and has chapters and action teams across the country. Over the years, it has: * organized events, tables and presentations * written letters, articles and op-eds * educated and lobbied MPs and politicians * pulled together research and worked with academics * participated in six referendum campaigns (two in PEI, one in Ontario and three in BC) * maintained a strong social media presence through its website and on Facebook and Twitter Additionally, it has submitted briefs to numerous electoral reform committees and commissions. In British Columbia and Quebec, there exist parallel organizations, Fair Voting BC and Mouvement Démocratie Nouvelle respectively, which are independent of Fair Vote Canada but share similar goals. Fair Vote Canada collaborates closely with these organizations. Fair Vote Canada strives to maintain a nationwide, multi-partisan support base, with members from all points on the political spectrum, regions and walks of life. Its work is endorsed by its National Advisory Board, which includes prominent Conservatives, Liberals, New Democrats, and Greens. It supports political parties and politicians that share its aspirations for electoral reform.

Documentation

Fair Vote Canada maintains a ''Review of Evidence'' based on comparative research about countries with different types of electoral systems and tracks the various ''Commissions, Assemblies and Reports'' that have been produced in Canada and its provinces over the years. Fair Vote Canada's "Resources" webpage provides a wide range of public education materials.

Democracy Day

On August 2, 2011, Fair Vote Canada launched Democracy Day and Democracy Week in Canada annual events encouraging participation, education, and celebration of Canadian democracy. In its first year events were held by different groups in cities across Canada. Fair Vote Canada designated Democracy Day to be Canada's celebration of the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoni ...

International Day of Democracy In 2007 the United Nations General Assembly resolved to observe 15 September as the International Day of Democracywith the purpose of promoting and upholding the principles of democracyand invited all member states and organizations to commemorat ...

and Democracy Week to be the seven-day calendar week in which Democracy Day falls (September 15 each year). A number of Canadian non-profit and governmental organizations participate in and promote the events, including

Elections Canada Elections Canada (french: Élections Canada)The agency operates and brands itself as Elections Canada, its legal title is Office of the Chief Electoral Officer (). is the non-partisan agency responsible for administering Canadian federal electio ...

References

External links

*
Links to electoral reform organizations and documents
{{Election Organizations Political advocacy groups in Canada Electoral reform in Canada Election and voting-related organizations Organizations established in 2001 Organizations based in Ontario Kitchener, Ontario 2001 establishments in Ontario

Purpose

History

Documentation

Democracy Day

See also

References

Further reading

Archival holdings

External links