Fair Vote Canada

{{Infobox organization

| name = Fair Vote Canada

| image = Fair Vote Canada logo.svg

| type =

| founded_date = July 27, 2001

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| founder = Chris Billows, Doug Bailie and Larry Gordon

| location = 88 North Drive
Kitchener, Ontario
N2M 1K8

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| key_people = {{plainlist|

Michelle Clifford and Valerie Brooks (co-chairs){{citation needed|date=July 2022}}
Anita Nickerson (executive director){{cite web |url=http://www.fairvote.ca/contact |title=Contact Us! |publisher=Fair Vote Canada |access-date=March 15, 2022 }}

}}

| area_served = Canada

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| mission =

| focus = Electoral reform in Canada, proportional representation

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| homepage = {{url|https://www.fairvote.ca}}

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}}

Fair Vote Canada (FVC) ({{langx|fr|Represéntation équitable au Canada}}) is a grassroots, nonprofit, multi-partisan citizens' movement for electoral reform in Canada.{{cite web |url=http://www.fairvote.ca/ |title=About Fair Vote Canada |publisher=Fair Vote Canada |access-date=August 20, 2011 }} Headquartered in Kitchener, Ontario,{{cite web |url=http://www.fairvote.ca/contact |title=Contact Us! |publisher=Fair Vote Canada |access-date=April 21, 2019 }} it promotes the introduction of an element of proportional representation for elections at all levels of government and throughout civil society, instead of the first-past-the-post electoral system currently used at all levels of government in Canada.{{cite book |last=Pilon |first=Dennis |title=The Politics of Voting: Reforming Canada's Electoral System |page=89|date=August 2007 |publisher=Emond Publishing}}

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:{{cite web |url=https://www.fairvote.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/2009Statement_of_Purpose.pdf |title=Fair Vote Canada Statement of Purpose |date=August 21, 2009 |access-date=June 21, 2018 |publisher=Fair Vote Canada}}

proportional representation
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.{{cite web |last1=Fair Vote Canada |title=Fair Vote Canada Submission to The Special Parliamentary Committee on Electoral Reform |url=http://www.ourcommons.ca/Content/Committee/421/ERRE/Brief/BR8486811/br-external/FairVoteCanada-e.pdf |website=Special Committee on Electoral Reform |publisher=Parliament of Canada |access-date=16 April 2019}}{{cite web |last1=Fair Vote Canada BC |title=Submission to the BC Public Consultations for a Referendum on Proportional Representation |url=https://engage.gov.bc.ca/app/uploads/sites/271/2018/01/FVC-BC-Submission-2018-01-23.pdf|website=How We Vote |publisher=Government of British Columbia |access-date=16 April 2019}}

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.{{Citation needed|date=May 2022}}

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.{{Cite web|url=https://www.fairvote.ca/contact/|title = Contact}} It supports political parties and politicians that share its aspirations for electoral reform.{{citation needed|date=May 2022}}

Documentation

Fair Vote Canada maintains a Review of Evidence{{Cite web|url=https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ARfhGvCCMzxY4vFrEIEg-yhK2HDPDr6jMnAJqbnfS-E/edit?usp=sharing|title=A Look at the Evidence - 2020-09-04}} 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{{Cite web|url=https://www.fairvote.ca/resources/|title = Handouts and References}} 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{{cite web |url=http://bciconcoclast.blogspot.com/2011/08/august-2011-fair-vote-canada-newsletter.html |title=Fair Vote Canada Newsletter August 2011 |date=2 August 2011 |publisher=Fair Vote Canada |access-date=September 16, 2011 }} annual events encouraging participation, education, and celebration of Canadian democracy. In its first year events were held by different groups{{cite web |url=https://www.un.org/fr/events/democracyday/ |title=Invitation aux médias - 15 septembre Journée de la démocratie |publisher=Mouvement pour une démocratie nouvelle (MDN) |access-date=September 16, 2011 }} in cities across Canada.{{cite web |url=http://www.d24.osstf.ca/en-CA/links/items-of-interest/democracy-week-in-canada.aspx |title=Fair Vote Canada Launches Democracy Week |publisher=Fair Vote Canada |access-date=September 16, 2011 }} Fair Vote Canada designated Democracy Day to be Canada's celebration of the United Nations International Day of Democracy{{cite web |url=https://www.un.org/en/events/democracyday/index.shtml |title=International Day of Democracy |publisher=United Nations |access-date=September 16, 2011 }} and Democracy Week to be the seven-day calendar week in which Democracy Day falls{{cite web |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/mark-crowley/democracy-day-canada_b_961409.html |title=Happy Democracy Day, Canada! Or Is it? |date=15 September 2011 |publisher=Huffington Post Canada |access-date=September 16, 2011 }} (September 15 each year). A number of Canadian non-profit and governmental organizations participate in and promote the events, including Elections Canada.{{cite web |url=http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/young-canadians-invited-to-create-the-art-of-democracy-1560451.htm |title=PR: Young Canadians Invited to Create "The Art of Democracy" |publisher=Elections Canada |access-date=September 16, 2011 }}

References

=Archival holdings=

[https://wayback.archive-it.org/227/*/http://www.fairvotecanada.org/ Fair Vote Canada - Canadian Political Parties and Political Interest Groups] - Web Archive created by the University of Toronto Libraries