MISSION, CURRENT SITUATION, AND OBJECTIVES OF THE NDM
A non-partisan citizens’ organization, the Mouvement pour une démocratie nouvelle (MDN) focuses its efforts on securing a new electoral system for Quebec. It believes that the introduction of an electoral system with a proportional outcome will improve representative democracy and, in the long term, bring about a significant transformation for society. According to the MDN, Quebec’s future electoral system must achieve the following democratic objectives:
- To reflect the popular will as faithfully as possible
- Aim for equal representation of women and men
- Embodying Quebec diversity
- Enable political pluralism
- Ensuring the importance of the regions within the reality of Quebec
We have entered a new period with the election result of October 3, 2022. What characterizes this new period is:
- A majority government that, during the election campaign, rejected the idea of electoral reform for the upcoming legislative term;
- A much keener interest from the media in the possibility of reforming the electoral system, following the unprecedented distortion that was observed;
- A population that is largely in favor and is increasingly speaking out on this issue, through polls or otherwise;
- A new mobilization by young people (a petition on Facebook and a demonstration on November 29, 2022);
- Very high overall support for François Legault and his government (59% according to a poll published at the end of 2022).
Our position of strength is therefore better than it was before October 3, 2022, yet several challenges lie ahead. In this context, our short-term objective is to compel Premier Legault—as quickly as possible—to back away from his pledge to abandon electoral reform, so that the National Assembly may take the necessary steps to ensure the next general election, in 2026, is conducted under a new electoral system.
