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So what will it take for more Canadians to get behind the movement for change? New Zealand in the 1990s provides an example, because New Zealanders did change the way governments are elected. Why? Because they were very, very angry.

In 1984, at a time of economic downturn, New Zealanders elected a new left-wing Labour government. Voters had reasonably anticipated that Labour would work toward fulfilling its election promises. But as the economic situation worsened, the traditional party of the left suddenly took a lurch to the right. This was the era of Reaganomics, Thatcherism, and free trade. And while it might be expected that right-wing parties would propose similar policies, in New Zealand the policies came suddenly, from the left, and thus from left field.

The Labour government then began a whirlwind sell-off of state assets, corporatization of entities like New Zealand Post, and full-scale privatization of others. Benefits, public service wages, and agricultural subsidies were all targeted, as were nearly all other aspects of government spending. The economy had a painful overhaul. The changes were fast and furious and left voters in a state of shock.

As in Canada, some commentators had been critiquing the way parties came to power in New Zealand, as they also used the first-past-the-post system. In this system, the country is divided into electorates (ridings), and the winner in each electorate enters parliament. As in a horse race, the winner was the winner regardless of the percentage of votes received. And the party with the most seats after all of the electorates were counted got to govern.