New Brunswick electoral reform referendum, 2008
Encyclopedia
A referendum
on electoral reform
was supposed to be held in the province of New Brunswick
, Canada
on May 12, 2008. The date was announced by Premier
Bernard Lord
on June 20, 2006 in announcing his response to the 2004 report of the Commission on Legislative Democracy. However, Lord and his Progressive Conservatives
were defeated in the September 2006 election
and the new Liberal
government, which had always expressed skepticism about the model proposed by the Commission and its mandate opted not proceed with a referendum in an announcement on June 28, 2007. http://www.gnb.ca/cnb/news/ex/2007e0859ex.htm
The proposal was on a mixed member proportional representation
system which would see 36 members elected to the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick
in first past the post single member ridings and 20 additional members elected from 4 regions, using closed lists, to ensure proportionality. The threshold for proportional representation seats would be 5% of the provincial vote.
In October 2010, after the 2010 New Brunswick election, the group New Brunswickers For Proportional Representation was formed to push for the implementation of proportional representation as outlined by the Commission on Legislative Democracy.
Referendum
A referendum is a direct vote in which an entire electorate is asked to either accept or reject a particular proposal. This may result in the adoption of a new constitution, a constitutional amendment, a law, the recall of an elected official or simply a specific government policy. It is a form of...
on electoral reform
Electoral reform
Electoral reform is change in electoral systems to improve how public desires are expressed in election results. That can include reforms of:...
was supposed to be held in the province of New Brunswick
New Brunswick
New Brunswick is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the only province in the federation that is constitutionally bilingual . The provincial capital is Fredericton and Saint John is the most populous city. Greater Moncton is the largest Census Metropolitan Area...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
on May 12, 2008. The date was announced by Premier
Premier of New Brunswick
The Premier of New Brunswick is the first minister for the Canadian province of New Brunswick. They are the province's head of government and de facto chief executive....
Bernard Lord
Bernard Lord
Bernard Lord, ONB, QC, is a Canadian politician and lobbyist. Lord served as the 30th Premier of New Brunswick from 1999 to 2006.-Early life:...
on June 20, 2006 in announcing his response to the 2004 report of the Commission on Legislative Democracy. However, Lord and his Progressive Conservatives
Progressive Conservative Party of New Brunswick
The Progressive Conservative Party of New Brunswick is a centre-right political party in New Brunswick, Canada. It has its origins in the pre-Canadian confederation Conservative Party that opposed the granting of responsible government to the colony...
were defeated in the September 2006 election
New Brunswick general election, 2006
The 36th New Brunswick general election was held on September 18, 2006, to elect 55 members to the 56th New Brunswick Legislative Assembly, the governing house of the province of New Brunswick, Canada....
and the new Liberal
New Brunswick Liberal Association
The New Brunswick Liberal Association , more popularly known as the New Brunswick Liberal Party or Liberal Party of New Brunswick, is one of the two major political parties in the Canadian province of New Brunswick...
government, which had always expressed skepticism about the model proposed by the Commission and its mandate opted not proceed with a referendum in an announcement on June 28, 2007. http://www.gnb.ca/cnb/news/ex/2007e0859ex.htm
The proposal was on a mixed member proportional representation
Mixed member proportional representation
Mixed-member proportional representation, also termed mixed-member proportional voting and commonly abbreviated to MMP, is a voting system originally used to elect representatives to the German Bundestag, and nowadays adopted by numerous legislatures around the world...
system which would see 36 members elected to the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick
Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick
The Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick is located in Fredericton. It was established de jure when the colony was created in 1784, but only came in to session in 1786 following the first elections in late 1785. Until 1891, it was the lower house in a bicameral legislature when its upper house...
in first past the post single member ridings and 20 additional members elected from 4 regions, using closed lists, to ensure proportionality. The threshold for proportional representation seats would be 5% of the provincial vote.
In October 2010, after the 2010 New Brunswick election, the group New Brunswickers For Proportional Representation was formed to push for the implementation of proportional representation as outlined by the Commission on Legislative Democracy.