I think the electoral system should be changed. I think the
system as it is grossly unfair and does not adequately represent
the diverse views of British Columbians.
A system that allows a party to receive 97% of the seats with
only 58% of the vote does not live up to the principles of
democracy that I would like to see in my province. The current
situation, with the Liberals able to pass unpopular legislation,
shows what can result with essentially no opposing voice in the
legislature to balance their views. The same thing could be said by
Liberal supporters when the NDP was in power. I am fed up with the
wild swings in policy that result in the current system; it doesn't
make sense for incoming governments to spend my tax dollars on
wholesale housecleaning, undoing much of what the previous party
implemented, only for the process to be repeated the next time.
I believe that proportional representation [PR] would
allow more viewpoints to be represented, and result in more of a
consensual and deliberative process of decision making. This makes
sense; many of the issues that arise have far-reaching effects and
I do not want decisions to be made too quickly or with little
consideration. I think complex issues such as minority rights,
education, health care, and the environment would be addressed
better under a proportional representation system. The only group
that stands to gain under the current system is the one that
happens to be in power -- and as we have seen this is rarely a
long-term situation. I distain to vote stategically; rather, I vote
for whoever best matches my values. I would like for this action to
count for more. From what I have read so far, I think the MMP
system would be most appropriate for BC.
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