First Past The Post | Idea | Why is voter apathy so high? Why are we saddled with smarmy populist leaders? One reason might be the outdated First Past the Post electoral system that is used both provincially and federally. To wit:

A candidate can be elected without having the support of the majority of voters. In many cases, a majority of the population is represented by someone they didn’t vote for. Small parties are underrepresented in the legislature. This means that they receive a smaller share of seats than the share of votes they received. It is possible for a party to get more votes than another party but have fewer seats in the legislature.

And don’t think that this is lost on the powers that be.

Usage: “How the bloody hell can Harper claim he has a “mandate” with only 37.6 per cent of the votes cast by only 59 per cent of those eligible who actually voted? Damn this First Past The Post bullshit…”