Inning 2023: A Participatory Baseball Drama At Fair Voting Stadium

The inning is 2023: We have an exciting and challenging year ahead!

But we know we can cover all the bases….TOGETHER!

The batter, the First Past the Post electoral system (FPTP), is up to bat. It’s a heavy hitter because it survived Trudeau’s promise to change the voting system in the 2015 inning. Unfortunately, FPTP came out ahead in inning 2017.

The ball is hit!

…But WE STAND TOGETHER AND WE ARE READY!

 

 

The pitcher, Fair Vote Canada, tries to catch the ball to force FPTP out. (This catch attempt is analogous to the current Fair Vote Canada campaign aimed at the Liberal policy convention in May. There is a motion on the floor to set up a Citizen’s Assembly on Electoral Reform.)

At this point you can get in the game and visit your MP! Just click here!

In this game we never know what will happen. That’s why we cover for each other like baseball players do.

If the pitcher fails to catch the ball (ie. if the Liberal convention doesn’t pass the motion for a Citizen’s Assembly on Electoral Reform)….

….then the ball sails further out into the calendar year…

 

….The second base player attempts to catch the ball and force FPTP out:

On Sept 25 is the court date for the Charter Challenge for Fair Voting....

See this link: 

At this point you can get in the game and donate to this Charter Challenge CLICK HERE 

But what if that player fumbles, ie. what if…..

….. we get a ruling that says, “There has been a breach of the Charter, but the government now has an opportunity to justify the breach.”

At that point the burden of proof is on the government to show why they are justified in the breach.

After that we have to show that the government rationale for justification is insufficient.

It’s important to note that the government arguments will be subject to public scrutiny. This will put added pressure on the government to have strong arguments.

It would make the government look bad from a public perspective or a “public narrative” if they said, “We don’t care if this individual voter’s rights have been infringed upon.”

Public scrutiny is more powerful if the public is better educated on electoral systems in general. That is where Fair Vote Canada can play an vital role with its proven capacity to educate the public.

Fair Vote Canada is also the outfielder. 

To see what could happen next go to this Make Votes Equal link: CLICK HERE

In this game we never know what will happen. That’s why we cover for each other like baseball players do.

We can cover all the bases…TOGETHER!

 

 

Could the Charter Challenge for Fair Voting work in Tandem with a Citizens’ Assembly on Electoral Reform?

Réal Lavergne, former President of Fair Vote Canada, presents that possibility with this quote:

“And we’re hoping that the Supreme Court will pronounce itself on that and hopefully that the Supreme Court will say you have to find a way to hand this over to citizens and the Citizens’ Assembly would be one way to do it.”

If this tandem relationship materializes, then it makes a lot of sense for Fair Vote Canada to push for a Citizens’ Assembly on Electoral Reform exactly at the same time as the Charter Challenge for Fair Voting pushes for a victory in the courts. 

Réal Lavergne’s quote is found here: “Advancing Proportional Representation in Canada”
Stephan Kyburz interviews Réal Lavergne in this episode of “Rules of The Game: Discussing Democratic Institutions” Blog/Podcast  See this link