Submission GUDMUNDSON-1207 (Online)
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Submission By | Murray Gudmundson |
Address | Victoria, BC, Canada |
Organization | |
Date | 20040812 |
Category | Electoral system change |
Abstract
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I urge the Citizens' Assembly to propose a simple system of
mixed member proportional representation
[MMP] that the population will understand, see as fair,
and will consider as an improvement over what we have now. [1
page]
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Submission Content
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I am writing in support of the idea that BC adopt a system of
proportional representation [PR] to elect our
legislature. Having read about the various systems I feel strongly
that the easiest, most straightforward and fairest system we could
adopt would be a mixed member proportional representation
system.
I personally do not feel that "local representation" is as
important to me in our legislature as representation of my values
and concerns. How many people in our society have ever called their
MLA? How many people even know who their MLA is? But most people
know what ideas and values they wish were represented in the
legislature. I see proportional representation as a way of making
people more interested in politics and government because it is the
best way to see that your vote counts and the party that you
support will have some representation and influence in the
legislature regardless of whether they win the election or not. In
this day and age of electronic communications and low-cost
transportation, the size of a constituency is not a major concern
to most people nor an impediment to effective representation. I
would happily be part of a larger riding if I thought my vote would
make a difference in every election.
In many areas of our society we have progressed to the point were
we value and encourage minority representation, whether it be
affirmative action in hiring, or promotion of visible minorities in
media and advertising, and so on. Yet when it comes to politics, we
still seem to have a system where minority opinions are completely
shut out - because they didn't "win". There is virtually no way the
"minority" (although they aren't even always the minority of
voters) who "lost" the latest election can have any influence if
they aren't represented in the legislature where laws are made and
"all party" committees review legislation in the process of passing
these laws.
I urge the Citizens' Assembly to propose a simple system of mixed
member pro rep that the population will understand, see as fair,
and will consider as an improvement over what we have now.
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