PR in Quebec at last

Here's an encouraging report from Fair Vote Canada:

NEXT QUEBEC ELECTION WILL BE PROPORTIONAL

Quebec will abolish the current voting system in favour of proportional elections in time for the next provincial election. Minister responsible for Reform of Democratic Institutions, Jacques Dupuis, said on July 9, "There is a big enough consensus in our society for us to go ahead. That is the mandate I have received from the Premier."

Prior to last spring's provincial election, the Parti Quebecois government announced its intention of adopting a proportional voting system. The project has been taken up by the new Liberal government. The third party in the National Assembly, Action Démocratique du Québec, also favours the move.

At the Estates-General, held in February, 90 per cent of the participants – over 800 Quebecers from across the province – voted in support of proportional representation.

I wouldn't wish to attach utopian expectations to this development, but many of the flaws in our political system are more likely to be rectified under proportional representation than under our current first-past-the-post system. Let's hope the rest of the country will catch up to la belle province.