'We should always have the courage to ask this question: Can democracy be made stronger? Can we find a way for more people to participate?'' says Conservative Senator Hugh Segal.

Segal is a former chief of staff to prime minister Brian Mulroney and a Conservative leadership contender in 1998. He was in Whitehorse last Thursday to do a presentation on behalf of the Yukon Citizens for Electoral Reform.

The group has been exploring options for electoral changes in the Yukon. It tabled a petition in the legislative assembly last fall asking the government to create a citizens' commission to examine the matter.

Segal is a longtime board member of Fair Vote Canada, along with former Yukon MP Audrey McLaughlin and former federal NDP leader Ed Broadbent. The organization is a driving force behind the push for electoral reform in Canada.

The current first-past-the-post voting system in Canada is flawed, said Segal. The voting structure, which provides a seat in an assembly to the candidate who receives the most votes, creates huge distortions, he said.

'I worry about any political system where the majority of people who vote do not have their vote count in any way. The majority of the people who voted did not vote for the person who got elected, and that I think, is a very, very serious problem.

'I think we weaken democracy every day when we continue a system where all kinds of people vote their heart and their mind and they vote what they believe in, and in fact, that vote isn't counted in any way whatsoever.'

Segal used the example of the 1993 federal election that saw the defeat of the Conservatives under the leadership of Kim Campbell and the rise of Jean Chretien's Liberal government to argue his point.

Campbell's party actually received about 15 per cent of the Canadian vote in that election, he said, but only took two seats in the House of Commons.

Comparatively, in almost every federal election, about 30 per cent of Albertans cast their ballots in favour of the Liberals but the party historically takes very few seats in the province.

The current system manufactures majorities, he said, but when looking at voting percentages it's clear that's not what Canadians actually want.

'When things are going well, that's OK,' said Segal. 'But, God forbid, the Parliament of Canada consider serious matters like war or cutbacks in health care really divisive questions.

'Do we want a government that represents 24 per cent of the eligible voters or do we want a parliament where more voters have showed up because they believe their vote will be respected and their vote will count?'

Segal favours implementing a mixed system in Canada, which would have some element of proportional representation. He suggested it could include constituency based Members of Parliament and ones assigned to the bench off a party list.

New Zealand currently uses the system. It allows voters to cast their ballots to vote for an MP for their riding and also indicate a preference for what party they would like to see form government.

The number of seats in the legislature are assigned initially to the constituency MPs. Then, using a master lists of the parties, which are released to the public prior to the election, members are also sent to serve in government so seats in the house actually represent the percentage of the votes.

The combination system reflects the different regions, but also depict the real face of society by being more balanced in relation to men and women, indigenous cultures and urban/rural mix.

The current nomination process in Canada doesn't always let that mix come through, said Segal. It is often more challenging for women or individuals with limited financial resources to run.

'The reform opportunity, I think is real,' said Segal.

In Canada, there is a huge movement toward democratic reform, he said.

Prince Edward Island, British Columbia, Quebec and New Brunswick have all discussed changes to the electoral system. Ontario is also just starting its own process to look into potential options.

The Yukon examined the possibility of electoral reform in 2005 following a campaign commitment in 2002 by the Yukon Party.

The $124,000-McKinnon report, however, stated the government should be more concerned with legislative renewal than electoral reform.

Premier Dennis Fentie has stood by that finding by former commissioner Ken McKinnon.

'Our government is clear: we went through a process with respect to electoral reform, it showed clearly that in the concept of fair and balanced representation throughout, we've got a good system,' Fentie previously told the Star.

Since 1978, six of the eight majority governments in the territory have been elected by fewer than half of the voters.

In the 2002 election, the Yukon Party won 40 per cent of the popular vote in the territory, but now occupies 66 per cent of the seats in the legislature.

There were similar results in the 2000 election when the Liberal party had 43 per cent of the popular vote but 58 per cent of the seats in the House.

The NDP took 40 per cent of the vote and 59 per cent of the ridings in the 1996 election.

'I'm not here to preach to the people of the Yukon what they should be doing in their political system,' said Segal. 'That's for the people of Yukon to decide in a time and place that's most appropriate for them.'

But parliamentary and legislative reforms can be connected to changing the voting system, he said.

By electing list MPs, it would allow some representatives to become experts in their fields with more time to follow the intricacy of warrants, orders in council and committees than constituency MPs, he said.

'The Yukon is a place where people know about each other, they know the people in the legislature. It's quite an intimate, informal relationship, which is a great thing. It speaks to the democratic process, but it makes embracing change tough.'

Even if reaching a solution isn't achievable now, he said, it doesn't mean there can't be a dialogue.

'Other democracies are doing it. They are doing it responsibly and effectively.'

In France, elected officials are required to have 50 per cent plus one of the votes to win a seat in government.

Japan has also introduced electoral reforms which allow for votes to have more equal weight.

Even in the United Kingdom, where Canada adopted its electoral system from, there have been changes to proportional representation with the devolution of Scotland and Wales.

'They are admitting themselves that the old Westminister, first-past-the-post system isn't perfect forever, frozen in stone. It too can be changed and improved,' he said.

The Westminister system was created initially based on a two-party system. But now, with Canada having four parties represented in the House of Commons and even more running in elections, it no longer works effectively, he said.

The system used in the country should encourage the elected parties to come together to discuss issues, added Segal.

Though Segal doesn't favour switching to an exclusively proportional system, he does believe that type of representation does encourage the kinds of coalition governments that are healthy for democracy.

Currently, the party that comes in second in an election isn't even consulted, he said.

'I don't think because you voted for party B, your view shouldn't count for four years. You're still a citizen, you're still a taxpayer and people you voted for should be consulted in the process.'

The more people who come to the table to discuss Canada's policy priorities, the better, he said.

'Canada succeeds as a democracy, because we try to treat people's views fairly even when we disagree. That's part of the civility of our democratic system.'

The trick in the whole process is to create a system that isn't any more complex than the current one, he said.

'If the system that you are proposing is harder to understand than the one we already have, then people won't vote for something that's hard to understand. Why would they? I wouldn't.'

But reforming Canada's system, both at the national level and regionally, has the potential to get more people involved, he said.

'If we ask someone to stop what they are doing, take four hours off and to go vote, we should assure them their vote is going to count.,' he said. 'For the majority of Canadians in most ridings, their vote doesn't count at all. That, in my view, is going to weaken democracy over time.'

Segal was in the territory for meetings in relation to the Walter and Duncan Gordon Foundation, which works on public policies in relation to Canada's North, water resources and global citizenship.

He spoke at the Yukon Inn at the request of the territory's voting reform group. The Yukon's group intends to be picking up its push for electoral changes this summer and fall in time for the territorial election, which must be called by November.