Electoral Reform committee  I also lean towards non-mandatory voting, but I'm more ambivalent. I'm intrigued by mandatory voting. I'm doing a study with a colleague in Brazil where it's voluntary to vote from 16 to 18, compulsory from 18 to 70, and then voluntary again after 70. I find this very interesting

Electoral Reform committee  In fact, there are two questions: AV versus first past the post, and then AV versus PR. The question of whether it is proportional.... It's not a proportional system, so I'll just address the first question, which is AV versus first past the post. It's a single-member district,

Electoral Reform committee  This is a question about the alternative vote as an option—

Electoral Reform committee  —which I understand is perhaps the preferred option of some people in Ottawa.

Electoral Reform committee  If I can add, if you are supportive of the Pirate Party in Germany, you know that your party will not get 5%, and you will be induced to vote strategically as well. There is that in all systems. In all systems there will be small parties that will not be represented, whatever the

Electoral Reform committee  You're absolutely right. The impact is different, and you could argue that the distortions are smaller in the sense that in our system, strategic voting is always at the expense of small parties to the benefit of larger parties. Under PR or MMP and so on, sometimes it goes the ot

Electoral Reform committee  I guess so. The existing system under-represents very small regional parties and overrepresents big regional parties. That's why the Bloc at times were overrepresented and at other times under-represented. The existing system is not biased in any way, I think, in general for or a

Electoral Reform committee  On exactly the same question...?

Electoral Reform committee  On polarization first, I guess?

Electoral Reform committee  I don't think the evidence is that clear on exactly what the consequence would be. Well, there would be a consequence in that there would be a wider array of viewpoints, and some of them would probably be more extremist than they are now, so there will be more diversity but also

Electoral Reform committee  It's at 7:30 p.m., and everyone is strongly encouraged to take part.

Electoral Reform committee  The conclusions at the very end?

Electoral Reform committee  Yes, with great pleasure. The introduction of PR, first, might slightly increase turnout, and, second, would almost certainly enhance the correspondence between the distribution of ideological orientations in the electorate and in the House of Commons. Third, it would almost cer

Electoral Reform committee  Thank you. As I know I have very little time, I'll try to be very quick and to the point. In your deliberation about whether to reform the existing electoral system, you will have to address two questions: the first, what will be the likely consequences of a new system, and, sec