Commentary
Canada’s first-past-the-post (FPTP) voting system has contributed to 157 years of stable democratic governance in Canada, a track-record few countries can match. Yet calls for “electoral reform” have been increasing, based on the claim that FPTP is fundamentally undemocratic. Because candidates in a constituency need only a plurality rather than an outright majority of votes to win a seat, a party can win a solid majority, form a government and impose its will on the country with only a minority of public support.
