As the country holds it breath waiting to see what recommendations the Special Committee on Electoral Reform will make at the beginning of December, one expert warns against a referendum on the issue.
Although the Liberals haven’t said whether they'll hold a referendum or not, the Conservatives have been pushing for one, insisting that any changes to the voting system must be put to Canadians in a national vote.
But Dennis Pilon, a political science professor at York University who has studied various election systems extensively and written two books on the topic, says a referendum may not provide a clear expression of the will of the people.
“One of the problems with referendums is that choices are put too bluntly, or the public isn’t given a chance to differentiate between what are multiple options,” he says.
Pilon’s argument is that there’s an abundance of research on provincial referendums showing that people are not in a position to weigh the options and make an informed decision because in many cases they don’t fully understand what they’re being asked.
National Referendum on Electoral Reform? Don’t Do It, Says Expert
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Opposition Critic for Democratic Reform Scott Reid during a press conference on electoral reform on Oct. 14, 2016, in Ottawa. The Canadian Press/Adrian Wyld
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It would be immoral to have a referendum when we have so much evidence that referendums do not work.
Chandra Lye
Author