Montreal, 14 September 2025 — On International Day of Democracy and one year before the next general election, sixteen civil society organizations, united within the Coalition for Electoral Reform, are issuing a joint statement demanding that electoral reform become a key issue in the election campaign, which will conclude on October 5, 2026.

The déclaration commune, introduced by Mr. Jean-Pierre Charbonneau, President of the Mouvement Démocratie Nouvelle (MDN), is demanding all political parties present voters with solutions they intend to put forward in order to put an end to the democratic deficits of the first-past-the-post voting system.

“The 2022 results clearly demonstrated the distortions in representativeness generated by the current system. Not only does it distort the expression of the will of the people but artificially creates parliamentary majorities that do not have the real support of the population”, the organizations denounce.

Far from providing the stability invoked by its advocates, the current system contributes to the instability of public policies. Major reforms are regularly imposed by gag order, then defeated in turn due to a lack of lasting support. The public health network is a striking example, with repeated restructuring that threatened its viability. Similarly, the political reversals observed in Canada and the United States on environmental issues illustrate the dangers of a system that does not reflect the continuity of social needs.

To modernize governance and restore public confidence in institutions, the signatories support Bill 499, introduced in 2023 by Québec solidaire, in collaboration with the Parti Québécois and supported by other political parties, including the Conservative Party of Québec. This project proposes a voting system better suited to our current pluralist political landscape.

“With a mixed member proportional system with regional compensation, the National Assembly would truly reflect the political and regional diversity of Québec. Coalitions would become the norm and would encourage more sustainable policies built on consensus”, point out the organizations.

According to a recent projection by QC125, a government could theoretically obtain a parliamentary majority with just 31% of the vote. “The status quo is no longer viable. The 2026 elections must be the last ones held under the current voting system”, concluded the groups.

The Coalition pour une réforme électorale includes the Mouvement Démocratie Nouvelle (MDN), Réseau des tables régionales des groupes de femmes du Québec, Société Saint-Jean-Baptiste (SSJB), Force Jeunesse, Mères au front-Rive-sud, the Fédération des travailleurs et travailleuses du Québec (FTQ), the Confédération des syndicats nationaux (CSN), the Centrale des syndicats du Québec (CSQ), the Centrale des syndicats démocratiques (CSD), Alliance du personnel professionnel et technique de la santé et des services sociaux (APTS), the Fédération interprofessionnelle de la santé du Québec (FIQ), the Fédération autonome de l’enseignement (FAE), the Syndicat de la fonction publique du Québec (SFPQ), the Syndicat de professionnelles et professionnels du gouvernement du Québec (SPGQ), Union étudiante du Québec as well as the Amis de la Terre de Québec.