About NDM

History of the New Democraty Movement (NDM)

The 1998 general election, which resulted in a party forming the government despite receiving fewer votes than its main opponent, was the catalyst for the creation of the New Democraty Movement (NDM). The organization was subsequently officially founded in 1999 by concerned citizens seeking to bring the issue of electoral reform into the public arena and ensure that it would no longer depend exclusively on decisions made by political parties. The NDM thus helped open up public debate and significantly encouraged public participation in the discussion.

The NDM brings together organizations, as well as citizens from across the political spectrum, who share a commitment to defending the right to fair and equitable representation. As an independent, non-partisan community organization, the NDM works in partnership with Quebec’s social movements, labour unions, student associations, women’s groups and other organizations, as well as with electoral reform organizations across Quebec and Canada. It conducts public consultations, popular education and mobilization campaigns, and advocates for change with political decision-makers. It also provides analyses that help the public understand the importance of replacing the first-past-the-post electoral system with a system that produces more proportional results and better reflects the will of the people.

The NDM quickly became a leading force in the fight for electoral reform in Quebec, actively promoting change and participating in virtually every government and civil society consultation and initiative on the subject, often taking the lead in launching them. It soon became an influential voice in the debate.

The organization actively participated in the Estates General on the Reform of Democratic Institutions in 2002 and 2003, when Jean-Pierre Charbonneau was appointed Minister responsible for Democratic Institutions Reform.

Later, a new public consultation process, which took place between 2004 and 2006, began with the publication of a draft bill. For the first time, it proposed a mixed-member proportional electoral system that would allow members of the National Assembly to be elected locally under the existing first-past-the-post system, while additional representatives would be elected at the regional level based on the number of votes received by each party.

This approach would significantly reduce the distortions caused by the exclusive use of the single-member, first-past-the-post system, which was imported and imposed by the British colonial authorities in 1792, the year of Quebec’s first general election.

Unfortunately, these efforts came to nothing, due either to an election resulting in a change of government, open opposition from certain regional stakeholders, or passive resistance from a majority of elected members of the governing party and even members of the opposition, who feared jeopardizing their chances of re-election. In fact, this was a repeat of the 1985 scenario, when René Lévesque faced opposition from his own caucus, which refused to support his proposed electoral reform.

Yet, a study published in 2007 by Quebec’s Chief Electoral Officer (DGEQ) concluded that the National Assembly could adopt a mixed-member proportional electoral system for Quebec and that such a reform was feasible within a reasonable timeframe.

Throughout this period, the NDM continued to actively campaign for change, including submitting a petition signed by more than 20,000 people in support of electoral reform. It also continued to develop its own thinking on the most appropriate electoral system for Quebec, incorporating the principles of gender parity and fair representation for people from cultural communities.

In 2011, the Solution démocratique (Democratic Solution) campaign was launched to promote the model selected by the organization. The campaign led to the organization of numerous public events, as well as awareness-raising, educational and promotional activities involving a wide range of groups and organizations throughout Quebec.

In the years that followed, the NDM adopted a new strategy, placing greater emphasis on working collaboratively with political parties. These parties are essential stakeholders in achieving electoral reform, since any change to Quebec’s electoral system must first be approved through legislation by the National Assembly.

Since 2016, the NDM has therefore spearheaded the Chaque voix compte (Every Vote Counts) campaign, which led to a cross-party agreement signed on May 9, 2018, by four of Quebec’s five main political parties. These included the Coalition Avenir Québec, represented by its leader and future Premier, François Legault.

Under the agreement, a bill establishing a mixed-member proportional representation system with regional party lists was to be introduced in the National Assembly by the party or parties forming the government following the 2018 election.

This commitment was indeed fulfilled when the Coalition Avenir Québec government introduced Bill 39 in September 2019. The bill subsequently received support at both first and second reading and was the subject of public hearings before a parliamentary committee, in which the NDM actively participated.

Unfortunately, despite repeated requests from the NDM, its partner organizations within the Coalition for Electoral Reform Now, and opposition parties supporting reform, the bill never proceeded to the clause-by-clause consideration stage. It was ultimately abandoned by the Legault government in the fall of 2021. In doing so, Premier François Legault went back on his commitment.

Once again, opposition from a majority of elected members of the governing party proved to be the main obstacle. History had repeated itself.

Despite this significant setback, the NDM subsequently worked to ensure that electoral reform remained in the public eye and became an important issue during the 2022 election campaign, which it did.

As anticipated, the results of the October 3, 2022 election revealed unprecedented distortions and prompted strong spontaneous public reactions.

The NDM and its partners, both longstanding and new, including the Mobilisation citoyenne pour une réforme du scrutin (Citizens’ Mobilization for Electoral Reform), immediately resumed their efforts through the C’est juste pas juste (It’s Simply Not Fair) campaign, numerous public interventions, and a demonstration held on November 29, 2022, marking the opening of the National Assembly’s parliamentary session.

This work continues to this day.