Even more Canadians want proportional representation: survey

OTTAWA (NEWS 1130) – The recent federal election appears to have sparked renewed interest in changing the way we elect Members of Parliament to Ottawa.

A new survey from the Angus Reid Institute finds around two-thirds of Canadians now want to switch from a first-past-the-post voting system to proportional representation.

That’s a steep rise compared to 2016, when less than half were calling for the change.

In the 2015 vote, the Liberals had promised electoral reform but later abandoned the idea.

The poll shows majority support across the political spectrum, including among Conservatives. Three years ago only a third of identified Tories wanted proportional representation, but that has now risen to 70 per cent.

In the fall election, the Conservatives won the popular vote but still finished more than 30 seats behind the Liberals, which may explain the boost in support for a new voting system.