Submission GARNETT-0345 (Online)

Although the University Women's Club of Richmond does not endorse a particular proportional electoral formula or ballot structure, it does look to a new electoral system to better reflect the diversity of the population. [2 pages]

Submission to the B.C. Citizens' Assembly
on Electoral Reform

From: The University Women's Club of Richmond
Date: April 30, 2004

The University Women's Club of Richmond is an organization of over 60 women university graduates in Richmond, BC. Our club is affiliated with the Canadian Federation of University Women (CFUW), a national, voluntary, non-partisan, non-profit, self-funded, bilingual organization of over 10,000 women university graduates, founded in 1919. The Canadian Federation of University Women is in turn one of the 74 member countries of the International Federation of University Women. CFUW members are active in public affairs, working to raise the social, economic and legal status of women and girls as well as to improve education, the environment, peace, justice and human rights. The University Women's Club of Richmond is one of 27 clubs which form CFUW BC Council.

The University Women's Club of Richmond proposed the following resolution at the Annual General Meeting of CFUW BC Council in the spring of 2002:

Resolved that the Canadian Federation of University Women BC Council urge the Government of BC to appoint a committee from all official parties as well as public representation including political scientists to examine alternative forms of Proportional Representation Voting Systems suitable for BC and to hold public hearings in order to recommend an alternative to the present Single Member Plurality (SMP) or First-Past-the Post voting system: and

Resolved that the committee's recommendations be presented to the electorate along with public education on the recommended system and the status quo preceding a referendum.

This resolution was adopted by the members at that Annual Meeting. CFUW - BC Council subsequently corresponded with Premier Gordon Campbell to advise him of this resolution. The University Women's Club of Richmond also corresponded with our local MLAs to advise them of this resolution. The University Women's Club of Richmond therefore welcomed the formation of this independent Citizens' Assembly on Electoral Reform.

We commend the commitment and work of the citizens who form this assembly. The release of the Preliminary Statement and the ongoing publication of a Newsletter indicate a commitment to the public education that our organization urged in the second clause of the resolution. We also support the creation of public forums to offer citizens the opportunity for input into the questions the Assembly raises in its Preliminary Statement.

In our discussion of electoral reform, the University Women's Club of Richmond assumed that local representation would continue. In a province as geographically large and as diverse as British Columbia, government needs voices from each area, and citizens need an identifiable local representative as a conduit with government.

Our resolution also indicates the desire for a change from the current single member plurality election system. This electoral system frequently fails to mirror how citizens vote, as Elections BC reports of results of recent provincial elections indicate:

In each of these elections, a party won a majority of the seats and thus can govern as if its policies had the endorsement of the entire population. Casting a vote is a blunt tool to hold a party accountable, and with changes in government, voters often see unanticipated policy and program changes. If seats in parliament were in proportion to votes cast, the possibility of exaggerated majority or even majority governments would be reduced. Although minority governments may have difficulty in implementing their program, meaningful debate and adjustment of legislation to win support could lead to better legislation. The resulting more consensual form of government might be less adversarial, which may better reflect the values of the British Columbia population. Rules to determine eligibility for party representation would be needed, but inclusion of representatives of smaller parties would bring more views to the debate.

Although the University Women's Club of Richmond does not endorse a particular proportional electoral formula or ballot structure, it does look to a new electoral system to better reflect the diversity of the population. In 1994, the Canadian Advisory Council on the Status of Women commissioned a paper to determine which electoral systems could elect a Parliament in which the membership mirrors the demographic composition of Canadian society in terms of gender, race, and other politically relevant characteristics. They concluded that a method of proportional representation would make it significantly easier for political parties to fulfill their political commitments to nominate candidates who better represent the diversity of Canadian society and would translate voter preferences into legislative outcomes more accurately than do single-member systems.

We look forward to the release of the final report of the Citizens' Assembly on Electoral Reform in December.

Thank you for the opportunity to submit this brief.