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Submission KABUSH-0108 (Online)

Submission By Elmer Kabush
AddressMoberly Lake, B.C.,
Organization
Date20040313
CategoryElectoral system change
Abstract
BC needs some form of mixed proportional voting that allows smaller parties representation in the legislature.  These parties will bring new ideas into government and enrich political debate which is the essence of democracy. [2 pages]

Submission Content
Assembly Members:

Recently, I spoke to the prime minister on a CBC national news special forum with Paul Martin. I specifically asked him whether he was in favour of reforming the way Canadians vote.

As a Canadian, and as a former candidate in municipal, school board, and provincial elections I won two out of three which isn’t bad. However, I won't say how many times I ran to achieve that result in the three categories.

Musing aside, I would like to make some reflections.

The first comment is that the average Canadian feels that they don't have input, after they vote. The most common comment is the politicians are all the same. or it doesn't matter who you vote for.Our most recent provincial election shows only one party is officially represented in the legislature. The government will not officially recognize the NDP as the official opposition party.  This act of the Liberals is heresy to our parliamentary system of government. We have a legislative dictatorship—be it democratic—or not!

As such, some 42 % of the voters are not officially represented in the legislature!    BC desperately needs some form of mixed proportional voting that allows smaller parties representation in the legislature. Small parties, such as the Green party with 12% of vote at the last election, achieved notable success but no seats. This turns voters off from taking part in the democratic process and allowed one party to dominate the legislature.

Such wipe-outs have occurred in New Brunswick, PEI, and BC. Alberta has basically been a one party state with some 40 odd years of conservative rule. Since provincial seats can be gerrymandered, the ruling parties tend to favour themselves.

Such a system favours the business and corporate elite to run the government of the day.

What we need is a system that allows smaller parties some equitable form of political representation. Smaller parties allow for more individual and new political thought from different streams to take part in the political process. Right now, they are locked out.

On the other hand, our present system of voting is having a greater tendency of wiping parties off the map as in the Mulroney/Kim Campbell disaster. Our present federal Liberals could be the next victim of the direct vote wiping out another great national party.   

Here in BC. we see the debacle of the NDP with some 22% of the last vote finish with 2 seats. Is this democracy? Does it allow for an effective opposition?I used to be an opponent of mixed proportional representation. But seeing the wipe-outs of our present form of voting in BC and the rest of Canada, I am not so sure.  Proportional representation gives individuals a greater range of voter choice through voting for smaller parties that will bring new ideas into government and enrich political debate which is the essence of democracy.

And the risk of not having a majority is far less than having a government that doesn't represent all the forms of political ideas that worked together to form government policy.

Parties would be forced to form a majority of minorities in a mixed proportional representation form of government. One final comment, Canada is a multicultural nation which vast regional interests, we have to recognize these factors in their political form.

Good luck to your Assembly in researching and proposing a new electoral system that reflects political balance between the big and small democratic political values and ideas which must be represented by elected seats.

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