Citizens Assembly Blog

press release announcing the selection of the first members of Ontario's citizens assembly

Publication: Press Release
Title: Elections Ontario selects the first members for the Citizens' Assembly
Date: May 30, 2006

For the press release, click here.

Attention News Editors:

Elections Ontario selects the first members for the Citizens' Assembly

TORONTO, May 30 /CNW/ - The Chief Election Officer, John Hollins, would like to announce that Elections Ontario has selected the first members for the Citizens' Assembly on Electoral Reform. This past weekend, Elections Ontario hosted meetings in Toronto and Thunder Bay to begin selecting members for the Assembly.

One member and two alternates were drawn from the 11-13 participants that were randomly selected from each electoral district to attend the meeting. This past weekend, nine members were selected to represent their electoral districts: Beaches-East York, Toronto-Danforth, Don Valley East, Don Valley West, Durham, Oshawa, Pickering-Ajax-Uxbridge, Whitby-Ajax and Kenora-Rainy River.

In total, Elections Ontario will hold 29 meetings in 17 cities to select 103 members to participate in the Assembly. When the selection process is complete, the Chief Election Officer will present the list of names of the 103 members and their alternates to the Minister Responsible for Democratic Renewal on or before July 14, 2006.

This coming weekend, selection meetings will be held in Toronto, Mississauga, Hamilton, London and Windsor. Dates and times of this weekend's meetings are listed below. The complete schedule can be found on Elections Ontario's web site www.electionsontario.on.ca.

<<
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Location Time Electoral Districts
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Saturday, June 3, 2006
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Holiday Inn on King 9:30 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. St. Paul's
370 King Street West Toronto Centre-Rosedale
Toronto Trinity-Spadina
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12:30 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. Davenport
Eglinton-Lawrence
Parkdale-High Park
Willowdale
York South-Weston
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3:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. Scarborough-Agincourt
Scarborough-Centre
Scarborough-East
Scarborough-Rouge River
Scarborough Southwest
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Holiday Inn Toronto West 9:30 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. Mississauga Centre
100 Britannia Road East Mississauga East
Mississauga Mississauga South
Mississauga West
-----------------------------------------------
12:30 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. Bramalea-Gore-
Malton-Springdale
Brampton Centre
Brampton West-
Mississauga
Halton
Oakville
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Four Points by Sheraton 9:30 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. London North Centre
Hotel & Suites London West
1150 Wellington London-Fanshawe
Road South Oxford
London -----------------------------------------------
1:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. Elgin-Middlesex-London
Lambton-Kent-Middlesex
Perth-Middlesex
Sarnia-Lambton
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Sunday, June 4, 2006
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Holiday Inn on King 12:30 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. Etobicoke Centre
370 King Street West Etobicoke-Lakeshore
Toronto Etobicoke North
York West
York Centre
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3:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. Markham
Oak Ridges
Thornhill
Vaughan-King-Aurora
York North
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Sheraton Hamilton Hotel 9:30 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. Burlington
116 King Street West Hamilton East
Hamilton Hamilton Mountain
Hamilton West
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12:30 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. Erie-Lincoln
Niagara Centre
Niagara Falls
St. Catherines
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3:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. Brant
Haldimand-Norfolk-Brant
Stoney Creek
Ancaster-Dundas-
Flamborough-Aldershot
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Radisson Riverfront Hotel 1:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. Essex
333 Riverside Drive West Chatham-Kent-Essex
Windsor Windsor West
Windsor-St. Clair
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>>

Elections Ontario is the non-partisan agency responsible for administering provincial elections, by-elections and referenda.

For further information: For additional information about the selection process and meetings please contact: Paula Chung, Communications Officer, Elections Ontario, (416) 212-6186, 1-866-252-2152; For additional information about the Citizens' Assembly please contact: Barry Koen-Butt, Executive Lead,
Communications, Citizens' Assembly Secretariat, (416) 325-0752, (416) 993-2415

Three editorials, generally favorable, on Ontario's proposed citizens assembly

Publication: The Standard (St. Catharines - Niagara)
Title: Review of electoral system is overdue
Date: May 30 2006
Type: Editorial

For the article, click here.

Publication: The Expositor (Brantford)
Title: Towards fair elections
Date: May 30 2006
Section: Opinion

For the article, click here.

Publication: The Kingston Whig-Standard
Title: Possible electoral overhaul starts at local level
Date: May 27, 2006
By: James Wallace

For the article, click here.

A detailed reprise of what's going on with British Columbia's citizens assembly initiative

Publication: Victoria Times-Colonist
Title: B.C. switches decision day
Date: May 29, 2006
By: Les Leyne

For the article, click here.

VICTORIA -- Through gritted teeth, B.C. Premier Gordon Campbell has caved in and reluctantly moved his shot at making history four years further into the future.

He already has a place in history, of course. He's a premier. But you never know how history is going to treat the day-to-day decisions during your term in office.

Years from now, he could be viewed as the turnaround artist of the 21st century, the guy who picked up B.C. by the scruff of the neck and straightened it out.

But he could also go down as someone who gets grudging credit for a government remodelling job, but not much else. Who knows? His history is all in the future.

His one clear shot at going down in the books on his own terms is the still confusing reform of the electoral system by way of the single transferable vote. But grappling with that issue is turning into a much longer campaign than was first expected.

Initially, electoral reform was handed over to the 160-member citizens' assembly. It turned into a brilliant stroke, an innovative experiment in direct democracy. That assembly was given time to study voting issues and make two decisions. The first was whether B.C. should change systems; the second was what new system to adopt.

Seven months before the 2005 election, it decided yes, the system should be changed. Changed to what?

Its preferred option was an obscure, complicated system known as the single transferable vote. That prompted a spirited debate between two opposing camps that together comprised a minute fraction of the population. The vast majority of voters spent the election campaign just scratching their heads trying to figure it out, when they thought of it at all.

The referendum result, of course, just added to the confusion. A majority of 57 per cent supported the change.

But it wasn't enough to meet the 60-per-cent threshold required to make the change.

Campbell spent a few months mulling over the results. The throne speech after the election posed this riddle: "A troubling question remains; why did so many people vote so strongly to change the current system?"

Last November, he finally decided on a response. Crucial information that was missing last time -- the boundaries for the new ridings required if a new system is approved -- would be supplied by a new boundaries commission.

It is going to draw up two maps. One will update the ridings based on the current system, the other will present the new map required if the STV system is used.

The government also promised to hold another referendum on municipal election day in November 2008. The result would determine the rules for the 2009 provincial general election seven months later.

A few weeks after that, chief electoral officer Harry Neufeld explained to one and all how expensive this was going to get.

He costed out the government's plan and arrived at a startling figure -- as much as $60 million to enumerate the voters and settle the STV question once and for all. He also noted a number of problems with the brief period there is between the proposed November 2008 referendum and the potential start of an election campaign under different ground rules a few months later.

There is a staggering amount of work to do in that original time frame.

And because a long lead time is needed to be ready for anything, there was the potential for a lot of it to be wasted duplication. The office faced the prospect of simultaneously getting two big, complicated machines ready to go on a tight deadline, knowing one of them would stay parked.

So after another couple of months mulling all that over, Campbell changed his mind.

The referendum on municipal voting day would have cost up to $30 million. But holding it during a general election costs just a fraction of that, and gets a lot more participation.

So he bowed to the warning about mass confusion and announced last month he's putting it off until the 2009 election.

And that obviously puts off the prospect of changing the voting system until 2013.

The further the question is put off, the easier it is to ignore. But it's a sleeper issue that isn't going to go away, particularly because Campbell is also promising to provide funding to both for and against camps.

The one thing he didn't change -- to the dismay of STV fans -- was the 60-per-cent approval threshold. It's impossible to know whether voters are still hung up on the change. But the potential is still there for a hung jury, just like the last time.

Supporters feel it just needs a slightly stronger push to put the new system over the top in 2009, and in place for 2013. But there's a limit to how many kicks people want to take at this can.

Ontario's selection meetings for its citizens assembly to begin May 27 and continue for five weeks

Publication: Press Release
Date: May 26, 2005

For the press release, click here.

Attention News/Assignment Editors:

Media Advisory - Citizens' Assembly Selection Meetings Begin

TORONTO, May 25 /CNW/ - Media are invited to attend selection meetings hosted by Elections Ontario beginning this weekend for the Citizens' Assembly on Electoral Reform. Over the next five weeks, Elections Ontario will hold 30 meetings in 18 cities to select 103 members to participate in the Assembly.

Elections Ontario has randomly selected 11-13 electors from each electoral district to attend a selection meeting. At the meeting, a representative from the Citizens' Assembly will give a presentation on the
Assembly's work and the role of the members to help electors make an informed decision about their participation.

At the close of each meeting, Elections Ontario will randomly draw the names of one member from each electoral district to form the Citizens' Assembly.

Toronto Meetings
Courtyard by Marriott Downtown
475 Yonge Street, Toronto
Saturday, May 27, 2006

9:30 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.
Electoral Districts: Beaches-East York, Toronto-Danforth, Don Valley East
and Don Valley West

12:30 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. Electoral Districts: Durham, Oshawa,
Pickering-Ajax-Uxbridge, Whitby-Ajax

Thunder Bay Meeting
Valhalla Inn
1 Valhalla Inn Drive, Thunder Bay
Sunday, May 28, 2006

9:30 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. Electoral Districts: Algoma-Manitoulin,
Kenora-Rainy River and Thunder Bay-Superior North

The complete meeting schedule is available in the media section of the Elections Ontario web site www.electionsontario.on.ca. Media are invited to observe the meetings and will have the opportunity to obtain further information when the meeting has concluded.

Elections Ontario is the non-partisan agency responsible for administering provincial elections, by-elections and referenda.

For further information: For additional information about the selection process and meetings please contact: Paula Chung, Communications Officer, Elections Ontario, (416) 212-6186, 1 866 252-2152; For additional information about the Citizens' Assembly please contact: Barry Koen-Butt, Executive Lead, Communications, Citizens' Assembly Secretariat, (416) 325-0725, (416) 993-2415

U.K. think tank scholar proposes a citizens assembly (to deal with low voter turnout)

Publication: Prospect (U.K.)
Title: Forcing the vote
Date: May 25, 2006
By: Ben Rogers

For the article, click here.

Brampton Guardian reports on Ontario's Citizens Assembly

Publication: Brampton Guardian
Title: People get a say about government
Date: May 21, 2006
By: Roger Belgrave

For the article, click here.

Recruitment has quietly begun for what may turn out to be a political revolution in Ontario.

Last fall, Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty and the Liberal government announced a review of the province's electoral system-- the very mechanism that determines political power. Ordinary citizens are now being chosen to conduct that review that will culminate in a report recommending possible changes to the way political representation is decided at Queen's Park.

Selection of members to the Citizens' Assembly on Electoral Reform started this spring. The selection process is being conducted by Elections Ontario who will randomly choose 103 people from the registered voters' list. There will be one person selected from each riding in the province.

In an effort to reflect diversity and equal representation, the membership will be composed of 52 females and 51 males.

McGuinty is asking this group of volunteers to re-examine the current "first-past-the-post" electoral system. Work will include looking at different types of electoral systems-- such as proportional representation-- and deciding whether it is time to change how Ontario elects its government. The Premier has said the citizens' assembly will be free to consider all options.

The assembly is expected involve Ontario residents in its review through public meetings across the province and written submissions from the public.

Should the assembly recommend a change, a province-wide referendum will be held on the issue.

Every Ontarian would have an opportunity to vote on whether they want to change the electoral system or continue electing politicians in the same fashion.

Former provincial court judge George Thomson has been appointed assembly chair by the Lieutenant Governor in Council. Thomson is also a former deputy minister in Ontario and federal governments and Law Society of Canada education director.

He is currently the Senior Director of International Programs for the National Judicial Institute.

Selections were scheduled to begin this past April and completed in July. Beginning in September, the assembly members will meet about twice a month for eight months. Their report is due by May 15, 2007.

As the process unfolds, information about local meetings and other details is available online at www.citizensassembly.gov. on.ca.

General information about the process is available by calling 1-866-656-9908 or contact the Citizens' Assembly Secretariat at 416-325-0758. Questions or remarks can also be e-mailed to info@citizensassembly. gov.on.ca.

This is an opportunity for ordinary citizens to redraw our political system. It is not often that the average voter has a chance to play such a monumental role in changing the rules that decide how political power is determined.

This is the kind of revolution we should all try to play a role in, whether you regularly cast a ballot at election time or you complain about the system and refuse to enter a polling station.

Newspaper editorial endorse citizens assembly for Prince Edward Island

Publication: The Guardian (Prince Edward Island)
Title: The next phase of the electoral reform debate; If a citizens assembly is able to garner a broader base of public support, it might have a better chance of success.
Date: May 6, 2006
By: Editorial Staff

For the article, click here.

Participants in an electoral reform meeting recently agreed on the notion of a citizens assembly to take the electoral reform debate to the next level. It’s a good idea.

If there was a flaw in last fall’s discussion of proportional representation, it was that the particular model on the table was perceived as being imposed on the electorate. A citizens assembly whose main objective would be to get a broader base of public support might have a better chance of succeeding if the matter is ever put to a vote again.

Last fall, Islanders were immersed in an often-emotional debate over how to reform the electoral system so that it would be more reflective of what Islanders want. At issue was the mixed member proportional representation system, a specific model drafted by an electoral reform commission struck by Premier Pat Binns. The system proposed offered voters two ballots — one for the MLA in their riding, and another for the party of their choice. Supporters of the system said it would reduce party imbalance in the legislature and allow for a stronger opposition. Detractors said it would reduce accountability of the legislature and give more power to the parties, not the voters.

A plebiscite last November settled the discussion surrounding that model. Voters soundly rejected it.

Was the exercise a waste of time? Not at all. At the end of the day, all voters benefited from hearing the pros and cons of the status quo and they became more aware of the alternatives. The mixed member proportional system, at least according to the vote recorded, wasn’t the preferred option.

Now we may be ready to move to the next stage. As a result of an electoral reform forum last weekend, participants agreed that a citizens assembly might be able to draft a new system and be better able to garner a broader base of public support. What’s encouraging is that the participants who attended last weekend’s forum included representatives from the camps who opposed each other so vigorously last fall. That suggests quite a spectrum of opinion, and it bodes well for the potential of a citizens assembly, if indeed it is created.

Democracy is not neat and tidy. It can be unruly, cumbersome and time-consuming. But it’s a noble pursuit. As society evolves, so must the institutions that serve it. Legislatures across the land have been criticized for being dominated by the executive branch of government. Any effort to improve representation and accountability ultimately benefits society. If Prince Edward Islanders, possibly through a citizens assembly, are able to produce a model that works for this province, that model could serve as an inspiration for electoral reform across the country.

Another article reporting the delay in the British Columbia's next citizens assembly referendum

Publication: Western Press
Title: Referendum delayed
Date: May 5, 2006
By: Tom FLETCHER

For the article, click here.

VICTORIA – Voters will have to wait until the 2009 provincial election to have their say on a proposed new system of electing MLAs to multi-member seats.

Premier Gordon Campbell admitted his pledge to have the single transferable vote system put to a second referendum with the November 2008 municipal elections has proven to be too ambitious, and too costly.
“By holding the referendum in tandem with the municipal election, the government had hoped to substantially reduce costs and to encourage a substantial turnout compared to a stand-alone election,” Campbell said.

“It now appears clear that holding the referendum as either a stand-alone referendum or together with municipal elections would cost about 10 times more than if it was simply held in tandem with the next provincial election.”

The single transferable vote (STV) was chosen by a province-wide citizens’ assembly as the preferred system for making election results better reflect the wishes of voters.

Campbell set up the assembly following a 1996 B.C. election that saw his party win the popular vote but lose the election. The 2001 election gave the B.C. Liberals 77 of 79 seats with a relatively small majority of votes.

Under STV, the election map would be redrawn to create larger areas represented by between two and seven MLAs. Voters would rank their choices in order of preference and a formula would determine winners taking into account second, third and subsequent choices.

The concept of STV proved popular in a referendum with the May 2005 election, as 58 per cent of voters endorsed it province-wide.

To pass it needed 60 per cent, with majority support in each region of the province.

Prince George's Free Press endorses a later date for the citizens assembly referendum

Publication: Prince George Free Press
Title: We Say
Date: May 3, 2006
Note: an edited version of the same editorial appears in the May 5 Langley Times

For the article, click here.

Let’s review: The province-wide referendum in 2005’s provincial election on the Single Transferable Vote system failed.

That’s not to say that it didn’t have widespread popularity, indeed the proposal nearly met the criteria required to be made law. To pass it needed 60 per cent of the vote across the province and a clear majority in each electoral area. Results showed 58 per cent support across the province. But still, it failed.

Many proponents of electoral reform decried the result, citing a standard for success set way too high. Even the Premier, who had struck the Citizens Assembly to examine electoral reform, saw the public had spoken and pledged to continue on the path to revamping the current first-past-the-post-system. Of course it was the 2001 election, and it’s lopsided seat count, 77-2 in favour of the Liberals, that left many clamoring for a better way.

Now Mr. Campbell has scrapped a plan for a second referendum during the 2008 Municipal elections in November as too costly and ill-timed.

That would have required Elections B.C. to have two electoral maps, indeed two complete systems in place, to be ready for the May 2009 provincial election – cost to taxpayers as much as $60,000,000.

The new referendum will now go the people in May 2009 and if it passes be in effect for the 2013 vote.

Green Party leader Adriane Carr has called the delay unacceptable. Perhaps because a move towards a sort of proportional representation is widely seen as they only way you’ll see a Green MLA in the foreseeable future.

Perhaps what is actually unacceptable is the prospect of spending that kind of money on change for the sake of change. It can be argued that the standard for STV, and its inherent radical changes, to pass should be higher than 60 per cent.

STV’s multi-member seat premise confused some voters, and if passed could mire the legislature in chaos. It is not the cure-all that reformers would have the electorate believe. It is also not something to be rushed into just to get a few fringe party candidates to Victoria.
—John McKenzie

A grassroots effort for a citizens assembly on Prince Edward Island

Publication: The Guardian (Prince Edward Island)
Title: Citizens assembly on Island is required to restart electoral reform, say advocates
Date: May 1, 2006
By: Caitlin McIntyre

For the article, click here.

If the electoral reform process is renewed on P.E.I. a citizens assembly should be developed, those at a public forum said Saturday.

This was the consensus reached by 30 people gathered at St. Peter’s Anglican Church hall in Charlottetown for a electoral reform forum.

They said a randomly selected citizens assembly based on models in British Columbia and Ontario would create a more democratic vote on electoral change if the issue is reintroduced on P.E.I.

In a citizens assembly, the randomly selected individuals would discuss electoral reform and propose a new electoral system that would be presented to the public for a vote.

“I think if you have a citizens assembly it’s going to be a lot harder for (Island politicians) to run the sort of campaign they did last time,” said Mark Greenan, a member of the yes coalition during last year’s electoral reform debate.

“It was an elitist process before, but hopefully a better designed process involving average citizens will get us a fair voting system on P.E.I.”

Gordon Cobb, a member of the No to MMP Coalition, said the goal of Saturday’s forum was to brainstorm ideas for kickstarting a new electoral reform process on the Island.

He said a citizens assembly, which would need the support of the legislative assembly to materialize, would likely get more Islanders interested in the debate.

“With a citizens assembly, it would be the first time we’d have a diverse, broad group looking at the problem,” Cobb said. “Then at least there’s a greater sense that the final product that comes out will be a bit more acceptable and possibly generate more excitement from the general public.”

Saturday’s forum included representatives from both sides of the issue.

Greenan and Justice Norman Carruthers, both supporters of electoral reform, were guest speakers along with former MLA Pat Mella, an opponent of reform.

Ed MacDonald, a history professor at UPEI, offered a historical perspective on the election issue.
But both sides agreed that a citizens assembly would be an ideal means of possibly settling the issue.
“It gives an opportunity for a lot more debate and public exposure,” Mella said.

However, she said those expecting these changes to occur sooner rather then later may be disappointed.
“There’s always people who think they want to change everything by tomorrow, and that’s not going to happen.”

Meanwhile, Greenan said he’s “cautiously optimistic” about the future of electoral reform on P.E.I. While he believes the debate will eventually be re-opened, he’s unsure how Islanders will react.

“It’s going to be difficult,” he said. “There’s some conservativism in Islanders and they’re not necessarily the people most likely to embrace change. You’re going to face a bigger resistance to change than you might in other jurisdictions.”

But MacDonald said any research into Island history proves Islanders actually tend to embrace change.