Robocalls Highlight Need For Electoral Reform

Vancouver, BC – Right now there is a massive scandal in the news involving ‘robocalls’. At the heart of this scandal are telephone messages. many of them automated, in which Elections Canada was impersonated and people were directed to the wrong polling stations. These messages very likely had the intended effect of disenfranchising voters.

The Pirate Party of Canada condemns attempts to mislead voters, whatever the source, and the adoption of automated calling systems to undermine of democracy in our nation.

Initial reports suggested 15 ridings were involved, but as time has passed, the number has ballooned to as many as 58 ridings reporting complaints about similar calls. We may never know who is responsible for these calls, but we can learn from this mistake and fix the problem for the future.

“This scandal has only highlighted how backwards the Canadian election system is compared to the rest of the developed world,” states Deputy Leader Travis McCrea. “We need a system where blatant abuse can only have minimal impact in the shape of parliament and one where our votes count, regardless of who those votes are cast for.”

The fact that the previous general election was decided very narrowly in possibly fraudulent circumstances highlights the need for elections reform. Canadians have seen the influence of corruption on our election system, and the only way to restore faith is to provide a comprehensive re-imagining, evaluating both the electoral system and the campaigning rules. Now is the time to begin a discussion on how we want the future of democracy in Canada to look. There are a number of ways that the system could be fundamentally changed, such as an alternative voting system based on proportional representation or otherwise, or allowing for recall of elected MPs. The Party supports measures such as Pat Martin’s Bill C-267 in the previous Parliament, which would have required that a committee of MPs investigate the possibility of proportional representation.

We challenge other parties to start adopting an election reform plan, and to provide a statement of support for fair elections and for the right of voters to choose their representatives without interference. We look forward to the results of the investigations of these calls, and we hope that the courts will fairly decide upon any applications to annul elections due to fraud.

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The Pirate Party of Canada is a federal political party, recognized by Elections Canada, focused on open government, copyright and patent reform, and defending Canadians’ right to privacy. The Party supports genuine democracy, civil liberties, and freedom on the Internet.
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