{{Short description, Government agency in Ontario, Canada
The Democratic Renewal Secretariat was an
Ontario government
The government of Ontario (french: Gouvernement de l'Ontario) is the body responsible for the administration of the Canadian province of Ontario. A constitutional monarchy, the Crown—represented in the province by the lieutenant governor— ...
agency, created in 2003, mandated to strengthen the
Canadian province
Within the geographical areas of Canada, the ten provinces and three territories are sub-national administrative divisions under the jurisdiction of the Canadian Constitution. In the 1867 Canadian Confederation, three provinces of British North ...
of
Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...
electoral system
An electoral system or voting system is a set of rules that determine how elections and Referendum, referendums are conducted and how their results are determined. Electoral systems are used in politics to elect governments, while non-political ...
. The office's mandated responsibilities deal primarily with engaging youth voters, encouraging open debate on electoral reforms, encouraging transparency and accountability, and to develop legislation for fixed election dates in Ontario.
In 2006 the office of the Democratic Renewal Secretariat oversaw the formation of an independent jury of Ontarians called the Citizens' Assembly on Electoral Reform to examine the electoral system in Ontario, research possible
reforms
Reform ( lat, reformo) means the improvement or amendment of what is wrong, corrupt, unsatisfactory, etc. The use of the word in this way emerges in the late 18th century and is believed to originate from Christopher Wyvill's Association movement ...
and to furnish a report to be submitted to the
government of Ontario
The government of Ontario (french: Gouvernement de l'Ontario) is the body responsible for the administration of the Canadian province of Ontario. A constitutional monarchy, the Crown—represented in the province by the lieutenant governor†...
.
The secretariat was overseen by the Minister responsible for Democratic Renewal, previously the Honourable
Marie Bountrogianni
Marie Bountrogianni (born December 10, 1956) is the former Dean of The G. Raymond Chang School of Continuing Education at Ryerson University. She is also the former Chief psychologist of the Hamilton Board of Education, the former President and ...