
Frequently Asked Questions
Find answers to your questions here. We encourage you to check out our other resources:
NEW:
1. Is what we are suggesting the highest political priority in Canada right now?
Yes! The next federal election is scheduled for October 2025, but it could happen sooner. We must organize now to prevent a Conservative Party of Canada majority government – currently predicted in the polls in spite of the backing of only a minority of voters.
Based on their voting record, a Conservative win would present a serious threat to the social programs that a majority of Canadians support (including publicly funded healthcare, affordable childcare, dental care, pharmacare, affordable housing, public education, and public pensions). It would increase inequality, threaten our democratic and human rights, and risk irreparable climate breakdown. Hopes for a safe climate future would disappear.
How is this possible? It is possible because the votes of progressive Canadians are split between the Liberals, the NDP, the Greens, the Bloc Quebecois, enabling the CPC to win in ridings where most voters do not vote for the CPC.
A Conservative win would present a serious threat to the community values and social programs supported by a majority of Canadians (including healthcare, childcare, dentalcare, pharmacare, affordable housing, public education, and public pensions). It would increase inequality, and threaten our democratic rights. A lack of climate action would result in Canada missing 2030 targets, putting us on the path to irreparable climate breakdown.
2. What is the plan to prevent a CPC majority?
Based on current polling data (June 2024) and in spite of the backing of only a minority of voters, the Conservatives are projected to have a greater than 99% chance of winning a majority government.
How is this possible?
When progressive Canadians split their votes among the Liberals, the NDP, the Greens, and the Bloc Quebecois, it enables the CPC to win in ridings where most voters do not vote for the CPC.
Electoral cooperation is a strategy that can prevent vote splitting. It can take many forms, including only running a candidate of the party that is the clear front-runner, or running “paper” or token candidates for the parties least likely to win.
Electoral cooperation among progressive parties (whether formal or informal) has successfully prevented vote-splitting in many countries, including the French legislative election of 2017, and the federal elections in Germany and Chile in 2021, and when the Alliance merged with the Progressive Conservatives to form the Conservative Party of Canada in 2003. The 2022 Canadian federal election resulted in a Liberal minority, and the Liberals entered into a cooperation and supply agreement with the NDP to enable the government to function for a longer period of time. This cooperation agreement has been working. Our plan is to have all of the progressive parties cooperate.
Building this kind of cooperation between the parties takes time. It requires providing education and information to the general public. Using that knowledge, voters can call upon their representatives and riding associations to cooperate for the good of Canada, and our collective future. Education takes time. Similarly, it takes time to hold discussions within and between the parties to convince them to agree to move away from the status quo, and focus on building a common strategy for the election, and working together to address the multiple crises that Canadians are facing. Consequently, there is real urgency to get these actions and conversations started as quickly as possible.
Circumstances today dictate that the needs of Canadians must outweigh our traditional approach to party politics!
3. How likely are we to succeed?
We cannot stand aside and risk the profound dangers of climate change, economic injustices, and attacks on our democratic rights to go unchallenged – not for ourselves, and certainly not for our children. We cannot afford to do nothing!
Electoral cooperation is a strategy that can prevent vote splitting and can take many forms, including only running a candidate of the party that is the clear front-runner, or running “paper” or token candidates in the parties least likely to win.
Electoral cooperation among progressive parties (whether formal or informal) has successfully prevented vote-splitting in many countries such as the UK in 2019, Germany (2021) and Chile (2021) , and France (2017) including their 2024 election . It is worth noting that electoral cooperation also took place in Canada when the Alliance Party merged with the Progressive Conservative Party to form the Conservative Party of Canada in 2003.
Since 2022 the Liberals and the NDP have been working together successfully under a supply and cooperation agreement. Cooperating for the next federal election would involve continuing those efforts between the parties to work together.
Building this kind of cooperation between the parties takes time. It requires providing education and information to the general public, so they can call upon their representatives and riding associations to cooperate for the good of Canada, and our collective future. Similarly, it takes time for the decision-makers to hold discussions within and between the parties to convince them to move away from the status quo and focus on building a common strategy for the election, working together to address the multiple crises that Canadians are facing. Consequently there is real urgency to get these actions and conversations started as quickly as possible. Circumstances today dictate that the needs of Canadians must outweigh our traditional approach to party politics.
4. How likely are Riding Associations to adopt this strategy?
Parties on the left and on the right have successfully adopted both formal and informal arrangements between riding associations in federal and provincial elections in the past.
Examples of cooperation on the right include New Zealand (National Party and Act New Zealand); Germany (CDU/CSU); Canada (Progressive Conservatives and Reform Party); and on the left In British Columbia (NDP-Greens); Australia (Labour-Greens); New Zealand (Labour-Greens).
We must show riding associations that running this election campaign as if we are facing “business as usual” will hurt them and voters.
5. Would the majority of Canadians support electoral cooperation?
Current polls indicate the majority of Canadians see a vast difference between Liberals and Conservatives, but not much difference between Greens, Liberals or the NDP. If the choice between progressive parties were to be limited, most Canadians would vote to ensure the policies and programs they support are protected.
6. Is this Electoral Cooperation Strategy democratic?
Our campaign is unconventional, but not undemocratic. Electoral cooperation is a strategy that aims to prevent a minority of Canadians from forming a majority government. It is about organizing the democratic majority to by-pass our broken first-past-the-post system, and make sure the values and policies supported by the majority of Canadians will be those enacted by our federal government.
If you don’t find an answer to your question:
Follow us: