Parties Shy Away from Democratic Reform

Bill C-12 would have added 30 more seats to the 308-seat House to reflect the growing populations of Ontario, B.C., and Alberta.

Supporters of the bill say that Monday’s by-elections were a prime example of why adding more seats to the House is necessary. In Winnipeg North, 51,198 people were eligible to vote, while in Vaughan 120,864 were on the rolls, making a vote in the Toronto area worth half of what it is in Winnipeg. Internal divisions within the Liberals and Conservatives, as well as opposition from the Bloc Québécois, has all but killed the bill. Liberal and Conservative MPs from the Maritimes and Québec objected to the bill because it would have, justifiably according to some, gave them less clout in Parliament. The bill proposed adding 18 new seats in Ontario, seven in B.C., and five in Alberta.