I was one of the lawyers involved in writing up the draft
legislation for the 2002 Initiative to Establish a Proportional
Representation Electoral System in BC titled: Proportional
Representation Electoral Amendment Act. See
http://www.elections.bc.ca/init/carrdraftbill.pdf
for a copy.
I urge the Citizens' Assembly to spell out its proposed change in
similar draft legislation-like detail. Only by embarking on such a
drafting process can all the practical considerations of how a new
voting system would work in BC be ironed out. Writing legislation
forces you to think through what you are trying to achieve --
hopefully a voting system where votes count towards representation
as equally and as fairly as possible. Also, such detail is needed
so that the voting public fairly judge and make an informed choice
between the current system and the proposed one.
If the Citizens' Assembly referendum calls for a new voting system
without spelling out sufficient detail, the newly elected
government could draft legislation that does not deliver the intent
of the referendum. This is what happened with the unworkable Recall
and Initiative Act that was drafted and passed in 1995 after the
1991 vague referendum question about instituting such legislation
passed by over 80% of the voters.