I believe it is critical to the future of this province that our
electoral system be reformed so that the number and political
persuasion of elected officials more closely mirrors that views
expressed by BC voters through the choices they make when casting
votes for their MLAs. In my opinion, proportional representation
would produce a parliamentary assembly more able to debate the
various sides of political issues and thus make better informed
decisions.
In particular, I would like to see BC study the suitability of the
Mixed Member Proportional [MMP] System currently in use
in New Zealand. My daughter lives there -- her husband is a
Political Science professor at Otago University in Dunedin -- and
we have discussed that system at some length. Our
"first past the post" system is a poor comparison, in particular
being outdated, undemocratic and basically unfair.
Please do not assume that a low level of attendance at your public
meetings, if in fact this is the outcome, reflects lack of interest
in this matter. People today are stressed to attend to
family and personal needs, and still make a living, and often have
little or no time left for public participation. I am
particularly aware of this fact, as I am an elected representative
for local government on Denman Island. The residents of
BC are counting on the BC Citizens' Assembly to deal adequately and
fairly with a large problem. Please proceed and design changes to
correct the current representational problems.
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