Is Alberta being heard in Ottawa?

Competing Alberta groups complain they are not being heard in Ottawa. Of course, the underlying problem is, many of them are right. If every vote counted, they would all be heard.

In 2025 Alberta voters elected 37 MPs. Counting voters for parties that won at least 5% of Alberta votes, if every vote counted they would have elected 11 Liberal MPs not just two, two NDP MPs not just one, and 24 Conservative MPs rather than 34.

In 2021 Alberta voters elected 34 MPs. If every vote counted, they would have elected five Liberal MPs not just two, seven NDP MPs not just two, three Peoples Party MPs rather than zero, and 19 Conservative MPs rather than 30.

In 2025 Metro Calgary’s 12 MPs would have included four Liberals, not just Corey Hogan, with three top-up MPs from Calgary, the Liberal candidates who got the most votes.  Similarly, Metro Edmonton’s 12 MPs would have included four Liberals, not just Eleanor Olszewski, with three top-up MPs from Edmonton, the Liberal candidates who got the most votes. Southern Alberta’s seven MPs would have included two regional Liberal MPs from top-up seats, just as Northern Alberta’s six MPs would have included a regional top-up Liberal MP. And NDP voters would have elected a second NDP MP, maybe Keira Gunn from Calgary.

In 2021 Metro Calgary’s 11 MPs would have included two Liberals, not just George Chahal, with a regional top-up MP. Metro Edmonton’s 11 MPs would have included two Liberals, not just Randy Boissonnault, with a regional top-up MP. Southern Alberta’s 6 MPs would have included a Liberal regional MP like Devon Hargreaves from Lethbridge. The NDP did better in 2021, so Metro Edmonton NDP voters would have elected one regional top-up MP as well as Heather McPherson and Blake Desjarlais, while NDP voters in Metro Calgary would have elected two regional MPs, plus one in Southern Alberta and one In Northern Alberta. The Peoples Party of Canada got 7.3% of the Alberta votes in 2021, giving them one Calgary MP such as Jonathan Hagel, one Edmonton MP such as Murray MacKinnon, and one from Northen Alberta such as Michael Manchen.

A national poll of Canadians asking about support for proportional representation was conducted by EKOS Research Associates between January 22-29, 2025. 68% of Canadians support moving to proportional representation, with only 19% opposed and 13% unsure.

At an event during the last election, Mark Carney explained that electoral reform was not in the Liberal platform because they are focused on addressing the economic crisis, but suggested that they may pursue a process for electoral reform after the economic crisis had abated.

This simulation uses the Mixed Member Proportional system that was recommended by the Law Commission of Canada. As Prof. Dennis Pilon says: "We know that, when every vote counts, voters won't have to worry about splitting the vote, or casting a strategic vote. Thus, we should expect that support for different parties might change.” With open-list, the ballot would look like this ballot that PEI voters chose in their 2016 plebiscite. With two votes, you can vote for a candidate of the party you want in government. And you can also vote for the local candidate you like best regardless of party, without hurting your party, since it's the second (regional) ballot that determines the party make-up of Parliament. About 32% of voters split their ballots this way in New Zealand with a similar system. This makes it easier for local MPs to get the support of people of all political stripes. They can earn support for their constituency-representation credentials, not just for their party. This boosts the kind of support MPs bring with them into the House of Commons, thus strengthening their independence. This is the system used in Germany and, with regions like Canada would want, in Scotland.

Who should design an electoral system? A Citizens Assembly on Electoral Reform could do an impartial job of designing a PR system, if they are asked to.