A sign directs a voter to a Calgary polling station to cast their ballot in the federal election on Monday, April 28, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh

By The Canadian Press

Supreme Court won’t hear case contesting constitutionality of Canada’s voting system

Apr 2, 2026 | 8:16 AM

OTTAWA — The Supreme Court of Canada will not hear an appeal challenging the constitutionality of Canada’s first-past-the-post electoral system.

The system, set out in the Canada Elections Act, sees the candidate who receives the most votes in a given riding become the member of Parliament.

Fair Voting BC and the Springtide Collective for Democratic Society argued in court that the first-past-the-post system violates the Charter of Rights and Freedoms’ guarantee of effective representation.

The groups also said the system leads to the under-representation of women and other groups in Parliament, breaching the Charter’s equality rights provision.

The Ontario Superior Court dismissed the challenge in 2023, saying that while a proportional representation system would be a fair alternative to the current approach, it is not required by the Constitution.

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The province’s Court of Appeal also rejected the groups’ key arguments.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 2, 2026.

Jim Bronskill, The Canadian Press