The lopsided majorities produced by the present FPTP electoral
system are clearly undesirable. Some form of MMP system would
produce a more balanced Legislature. However, I urge the Assembly
to be very cautious. We do not want to create a situation where, as
in Italy, a multiplicity of small narrow-interest parties results
in short-lived, unstable governments. The link between individual
MLAs and their specific ridings is critically important and must be
preserved. Increasing the size of the Legislature should be
avoided; if some MLAs are elected by proportional vote, the number
of ridings will therefore have to be reduced.
The threshold popular vote for winning proportional representation
should be set very high, perhaps as high as 10%. Surely a party
that cannot command the support of 10% of voters has not earned a
voice in the Legislature.
The danger that the province-wide proportional vote would be
dominated by Lower Mainland opinions must be addressed. This could
be achieved by dividing the province into 3 to 5 regions, each with
its own list of candidates for election in proportion to the
regional vote.
Finally, I wish the Assembly well in its endeavours. This is indeed
a noble experiment.
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