It is encouraging that British Columbia is recognizing the need
to restructure our voting system, hopefully to more truly reflect
the needs and wishes of British Columbians.
The current "first past the post" system is outdated and has
created voter apathy. For example, in 2000, the voter turnout for
the general election was only 61.2% of those eligible to vote. It
is my contention that this is symptomatic of a population who has
become disillusioned with voting primarily for a "winner take all"
Party rather than an individual who would more truly represents
their region and specific interests in the legislature.
This apathy was not only seen in Canada but around the world.
Countries such as New Zealand, Australia and many of the European
Union countries have completely revised their voting system to more
accurately reflect the wishes of voters. In fact, Canada is one of
the last countries who still use the "first past the post"
system.
One of the most popular voting systems globally is proportional
representation. As a matter of interest, it should be noted that
Sweden introduced proportional representation in 1909. What, then,
is proportional representation? Many of us have heard the term and
misinterpreted it to mean a particular system of voting. In fact,
proportional representation is a system that is characterized by
the way that votes are translated into seats for parties and
candidates. In other words, the seats in the legislature are
proportional to the number of votes won.
The word "proportional" is pivotal to this methodology. For
example, in the 2000 general election, it took 130,583 votes to
elect each of twelve Progressive Conservative members of
Parliament, but only 36,258 votes to elect each of thirty-eight
Bloc Quebecois members. Proportional representation, unlike our
current system, acknowledges the success parties have in gaining a
share of the national and provincial vote and seats are allocated
accordingly.
To turn our attention to British Columbia, the current
legislature won all but two of the Provincial seats, but only had
fifty-seven percent of the popular vote. In 1996, the New
Democratic Party gained power with 37,500 fewer votes than the
Liberals. The most obvious conclusion to be drawn from these
statistics is that there were a lot of British Columbians who did
not get the representation they wanted in either of these
elections.
Given the time parameters of this presentation, it is not
possible to continue giving examples of votes that have taken place
federally and provincially in the past. We need to turn our
attention to the future of Canada and British Columbia and look at
who might benefit most from a renovated voting system. The short
answer, ladies and gentlemen, is all of us.
Again, in the interests of time, I would now like to draw your
attention to the lack of representation by women on every level of
government. Statistics reveal that fifty-two percent of the
population of Canada is women; however, the representation by women
on every level of government is less than 24%. Currently in British
Columbia, women only hold nineteen of seventy-nine seats. Clearly,
then, something needs to be done to ensure that women are more
adequately represented. Advocates of proportional representation
see it not only as a more equitable system for women, but also for
minority groups and voters in general. Comparisons of electoral
systems indicate that it is the most important variable for the
representation of women and minority groups. Countries with
proportional representation consistently elect legislative members
who more accurately reflect the population than do countries with
our current "first past the post" voting system. Again, using
Sweden as an example, the representation by women is approximately
forty-four percent.
Some would argue that no one should be elected to any level of
government simply on the basis of their gender. Others, myself
included, would counter that argument by saying that it has taken
too many years for women to even attain the level of representation
we currently hold, and something must be done to ensure equitable
representation for a group comprising over fifty percent of the
population.
The United Nations is cognizant of the need for a more equitable
level of representation for women. In June 2000 the UN General
Assembly, in Special Session to review the 1995 Beijing Platform
for Action, encouraged governments worldwide to:
"…. set and encourage the use of explicit short and
long-term time-bound targets or measurable goals, including where
appropriate, quotas to promote progress toward gender balance,
including women's equal access to and full participation on a basis
of equality with men in all areas and at all levels of public life,
especially in decision-making positions, in political parties and
political activities, in all government ministries and at key
policy-making institutions, as well as in local development bodies
and authorities."
The current voting system produces governments that do not
accurately reflect the views of Canadians. It discourages voter
participation and discriminates against small national parties. We
are currently in the last few days of a federal election. There are
many of us, myself included, who would appreciate the opportunity
to really have my vote mean something. I would like to know that my
vote would, indeed, count and that my candidate has a chance of
receiving a high enough proportion of the vote to go to Ottawa to
represent me. Statistically women are very successful in countries
with proportional representation. If voters have more than one
choice on voting day they will oftentimes cast a vote for a woman
and, in fact, political parties will often choose to run women
candidates in the hopes of attracting more voters.
Contrary to what you may be thinking, I am not suggesting
proportional representation as a way of creating imbalance, I am
suggesting that representation based on the proportion of votes
received is a means of attaining a much needed balance in our
Provincial legislature and across the country. No one can argue
that women are under represented and have been for many years. It
is time we moved towards righting the imbalance. Women were given
the right to vote in Federal elections in 1918, a year after they
were allowed to vote in British Columbia. That being said, it took
until 1929 before we were declared "persons".
Even before they were declared "persons" women were seeking
election on the Federal level. In 1921 four women ran and one was
elected. In 1968, thirty-six women ran and one was elected. By
1993, the number of women elected had increased to fifty-three;
however, four hundred and seventy-six ran, which translates into
only 11.13%. Statistics reveal that in 2000 three hundred and
seventy-three women ran for office and sixty-two were elected,
which represents 16.62%. British Columbia has fared somewhat
better. In 1972 six women were elected and although the number had
increased to nineteen by 2001, this only translates into 24.0%
representation by women. Considering that women constitute
fifty-two percent of the population of Canada, it is evident that
this level of representation is unacceptable.
An entire presentation could be devoted to statistics
substantiating that women are under-represented. Whist the
statistics are fascinating and illustrate the point, they are of
little consequence if they do not lead to solutions. Suffice it to
say that there is a growing awareness amongst women that they
should have a much louder voice in the affairs of their country and
Province. Proportional representation, I submit is a way in which
Canadians and British Columbians can bring this about. Keep in
mind, also, that this system also assists minority groups to have
more equitable representation, but that would have to be the
subject of another presentation.
In closing, I would like to leave you with the thoughts of Sir
Winston Churchill, arguable one of the world's all-time great
statesmen. In January 1960, Sir Winston was asked to comment on the
prediction that by the year 2000 women would rule the world. "They
still will, will they?" was Sir Winston's reply. Women still have a
long way to go to get equal representation, let alone rule the
world.