A Brief History of Democracy

Monday, February 7, 2011

The Democratic Legitimacy of the Quebec Government Challenged in Court

Montreal, February 7, 2011 – Lawyers Julius Grey, representing the Association for the Advancement of Democratic Rights (AADR), and Peter Rosenthal, representing Fair Vote Canada and Elizabeth May, leader of the Green Party of Canada, will present their arguments in the Quebec Court of Appeal in Montreal, Édifice Ernest-Cormier, 100 rue Notre-Dame Est, February 8, 2011, at 9:30 a.m. to have the current voting system declared unconstitutional.

A press conference will be held in the foyer of Édifice Ernest-Cormier February 8 at 9:00 a.m.

According to the President of the AADR, Patrick Daoust, "the current electoral system discards the majority of votes. As a result, following an election the government rarely has the support of the majority of the electorate but governs as if it had a majority."

Legal arguments will focus specifically on the manner that the voting system discriminates against supporters of smaller political parties, women, and members of cultural communities, and how the system functions to produce electoral results that do not reflect the popular vote.

Mr. Daoust adds that "politicians have been promising to change the voting system for the last forty years. It’s time for the Court to intercede. At question is a fundamental principle of democracy, the equality of the vote, and it is time for the Court to declare that the representation given by the present system is not democratic."

For more information, please contact:

Patrick Daoust 514-659-7786
Green Party of Canada 613-240-8921
Fair Vote Canada Canada 905-903-2190

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