Only one major industrial country uses it (Australia) and only for its lower house... and many more cities around the world use proportional representation than AV. The majority of the world's democracies use a proportional system, many for the better part of a century. Why do so many nations now insist their voting systems respect the principle of proportionality? Because it is the most democratically legitimate way to elect a representative council, parliament, legislature, or any representative body.

Polls consistently show that Canadians aren't happy with politics as usual, and that a majority would prefer to fix our dysfunctional voting system... a majority supporting making it more proportional.1 For the first time in Canada's history, we have a real chance to reform our federal system for the better. .

Thousands of ordinary citizens from every walk of life, concerned with the failing health of our democracy have worked for decades to arrive here. They've done so by being steadfast in their conviction that every Canadians' vote should count (and count equally)... not by supporting just any old voting system change. They have worked hard educating Canadians about equal and effective votes, fair representation, and the need to make every vote count with proportional representation. Let's not waste a unique opportunity for real reform with the distraction of another winner-take-all system.

---

1."In legislative elections [the alternative vote] is not much better than plurality elections; and as a winner-take-all system, it remains grossly inferior to PR"

-- Instant Runoff Voting: No Substitute for Proportional Representation. Dr. Douglas J. Amy, Mount Holyoke College. 2010