We need proportional representation in BC. The number of seats
that a party holds in the legislature should match its proportion
of the popular vote.
ACCURATE REPRESENTATION
Our society is diverse and complex, composed of many different
people with many different ideas. Diversity is a strength, and
under the current first-past-the-post (FPTP) system we are creating
weak governments by not including minority (and in some cases even
majority) viewpoints. Since all British Columbians are affected by
the decisions of our government, I think that we should include as
many viewpoints as possible in the decision-making process.
We should not fear minority governments or differences of opinion.
It is natural for people to disagree. But better to have these
disagreements within the legislature itself than on the lawn
outside. If people do not feel they are represented by their
government, the result is often mass protest (as be have seen
several times in BC's history). It may take a little longer to pass
legislation, but if parties are made to cooperate and actively
debate issues, the achievements of government will in the end have
greater permanence.
Critics of proportional representation sometimes argue that it
leads to unstable minority governments, and claim that the current
FPTP system leads to more stable majority governments. However, as
we saw in the recent federal election, the FPTP system certainly
doesn't prevent minority governments! And if we are going to have
minority governments anyway, then they should accurately represent
the voters. If our government (majority or minority) does not
represent the views of the public, can we truly say that we are
living in a democracy?
STRATEGIC VOTING
Strategic voting is a serious problem in our province. I find
myself voting against candidates instead of for them, and I know
many other people who are doing the same. We need a system where
voters can be confident that a vote for the party of their choice
-- the party that they truly identify with -- is not a "wasted
vote". Politics in BC could be very different if people were free
to vote according to their beliefs instead of their fears. Perhaps
political campaigns would also be more positive if the system
encouraged people to "vote for" instead of to "vote against".
VOTER APATHY
I am a young voter. Although I voted in the last election, many of
my friends and peers did not. They feel disillusioned with
politics. Many feel that their votes do not make a difference.
Although proportional representation is certainly not the
"be-all-end-all" solution to voter apathy, I believe it is one of
the necessary elements in the solution.
LOCAL REPRESENTATION
It is questionable how well local representation really works in
the FPTP system, since MLAs are often forced to vote along party
lines regardless of what their constituents think. However, I
believe that local representation is still important, especially in
a world of increasing globalization, where local views are often
lost. Local representation also ensures a certain amount of
accountability. If voters are unhappy with what is occurring in
their region, they have an avenue for recourse through there local
MLA.
PROPOSED SYSTEM
In order to achieve proportional representation and maintain local
representation, I believe we should adopt a mixed member
proportional (MMP) system with closed lists. Using closed lists
will help keep the system simple, and at the same time allow women,
minorities, and other deserving leaders to achieve fairer
representation in the legislature. Too often our politicians are
chosen for their television personas instead of for their abilities
as leaders.
The party vote should determine the overall number of seats that a
party is entitled to in the legislature (as in New Zealand and
Germany). The number of party seats must be large enough to make
proportional representation possible: between one third and half of
the seats should be party seats. We need proportional
representation in BC, not just the appearance of it.
PUBLIC EDUCATION
The greatest challenge in the transition to a new electoral system
may be educating the public. I have spoken with a number of people
who have expressed reservations about proportional representation.
In the end I have found that these reservations are often due to a
lack of information. Once I explain a system such as MMP in its
entirety, I find that people are usually quite enthusiastic.
Therefore I think that it is incredibly important, regardless of
which system the Citizens' Assembly proposes, that a balanced
education campaign be conducted. The public needs to be educated
about the pros and cons of the two systems that they must choose
between. Otherwise people may vote against proportional
representation simply because they do not understand it.
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