Fairvote Canada

The morning after Carney’s champagne bubbles have dissipated, the terrifying threats facing our country must become his singular focus. Trump’s economic wrecking ball. A revived and newly emboldened Western secession movement. Declining faith in politicians and democracy, coupled with a perhaps not entirely unfounded belief that governments have lost the ability to tackle the fundamental problems of our time.

Underlying all of these challenges is one that could potentially compound them all: an archaic electoral system that is no longer fit for purpose, which is sliding Canada inexorably toward an entrenched, adversarial two-party duopoly not unlike the one Americans are stuck with.

If Preston Manning and Andrew Coyne are reading the room accurately, a Carney victory could be the final straw for the many Albertans who have long felt ignored and disrespected by the Liberals under Trudeau. Unless Carney wants to deal with a trade war and a national unity crisis at the same time, he will need to take immediate action to address their legitimate concerns. 

If Carney were smart (and we have every reason to believe that he is), he would take the one action that would simultaneously strengthen our democracy, address the grievances of Western separatists and create optimism by rebuilding the public trust in government that Justin Trudeau so foolishly squandered. And this potent instrument is within easy reach.

A bold move by Carney to quickly implement proportional representation would not only be the right thing to do, it would solve multiple problems elegantly and efficiently. Not only would he be breaking definitively from Justin Trudeau’s legacy and finally removing the stench of betrayal that continues to linger over the Liberal Party, he would be neutralizing the threat of a constitutional crisis that a fourth Liberal term could trigger by helping to reduce the polarization that is driving Canadians apart.