Review of Electoral Systems

On April 23, 1999, the Advisory Committee of Registered Political Parties, which is chaired by the Chief Electoral Officer of Canada, conducted a review of electoral systems and their potential implications for Canada.

Three Canadian political scientists were invited to present papers. Professor André Blais (Département de science politique, Université de Montréal) addressed the criteria for assessing electoral systems. Professor John C. Courtney (Department of Political Studies, University of Saskatchewan) reviewed the advantages and disadvantages of plurality-majority systems. Professor Heather MacIvor (Department of History, Philosophy and Political Science, University of Windsor) reviewed proportional and semi-proportional electoral systems.

The full version of these three papers follows:

• Blais, André. Criteria for Assessing Electoral Systems
  
  
• Courtney, John C. Plurality-Majority Electoral Systems: A Review
  
  
• MacIvor, Heather. Proportional and Semi-Proportional Electoral Systems: Their Potential Effects on Canadian Politics (PDF format)

For further resources on this subject, you can also consult the following:

• Hébert, Ginette, comp. Selected Bibliography on Electoral Systems. Ottawa: Elections Canada Library, 1999

and the following Web sites:

• Policy Options (journal), November 1997 (special issue on electoral systems)
  
  
• Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance, The International IDEA Handbook of Electoral System Design
  
  
• ACE Project (Administration and Cost of Elections) – Electoral Systems
  
  
• Secretary of State for the Home Department, The Report of the Independent Commission on the Voting System, Great Britain, 1998
  
  
• PR Library (a source of information on proportional representation)