Ontario's highest court ruled Canada's first-past-the-post electoral system constitutional, rejecting claims of Charter violations.

In a decisive judgment released on Monday, a trio of judges from the Ontario Court of Appeal upheld the constitutionality of Canada’s first-past-the-post electoral system. The ruling affirms that the voting method outlined in the Canada Elections Act remains legally sound.

The first-past-the-post system allows the candidate with the most votes in each riding to become a member of Parliament, rather than reflecting proportional representation across parties.

This decision follows a challenge by Fair Voting BC and the Springtide Collective for Democratic Society. The groups contended that this electoral approach contravenes rights protected under the Charter, specifically those guaranteeing effective representation.

The challengers argued further that the system results in an under-representation of women and minorities within Parliament, thus violating equality rights enshrined in the Charter.

A move towards proportional representation would mean electing representatives based on party vote percentages across the nation. However, such changes are not mandated by Canada's Constitution according to previous rulings. In November 2023, Ontario’s Superior Court dismissed this challenge.

The recent appellate decision echoes similar sentiments. "The electoral system is not in conflict with either the right to vote or equality," wrote Justice Grant Huscroft on behalf of his fellow panelists. "It does not breach any aspect of the Charter."

Justice Huscroft highlighted that these arguments repurpose political debates as constitutional issues-a strategy already rebuffed through democratic discourse.

The evidence supporting these claims was described as heavily laden with debatable policy arguments that engender wide disagreement among scholars and citizens alike. Justice Huscroft remarked on how such contentious subjects fall beyond what constitutional litigation can resolve.

Simplifying his stance further, he noted Canadians’ liberty to cast their votes without constraints stemming from ideals about representational diversity.

Candidates' party affiliations or personal traits remain irrelevant when assessing constitutional adherence concerning election systems.

A promise made during Justin Trudeau's 2015 campaign aimed to end federal elections under this system; however, significant changes have yet to materialize since then.