News release

Assembly welcomes new members

Vancouver – British Columbia’s Citizens' Assembly on Electoral Reform welcomed seven members from Vancouver Thursday night, as well as one member from Surrey. The Assembly now numbers 145.

The Vancouver members are:

Their names were drawn at random at a public meeting in Vancouver. 

In addition, Dal Sidhu was drawn to replace Bill Hennessey, a member from Surrey-Panorama Ridge, who had withdrawn for personal reasons.

Gill, 36, is a sales associate at The Bay. She and her husband have a son and a daughter. She enjoys cooking and the outdoors. Wong, 19, is a student at the University of British Columbia with plans to pursue a career in business. He enjoys singing and dancing and keeps a close eye on the media.

Boudin, 32, is single and a student at SFU. His interests include literature, composing electronic music, photography, swimming and Tai Chi. Field is a 30-year-old fundraiser for the Sierra Legal Defence Fund, currently on maternity leave with her 5-month-old son. She has a degree in communication and a life-long interest in political processes.

Kirby, 54, is a key account officer for Translink with a teenaged daughter. Her interests range from tennis to reading to violin. Townrow is a 23-year-old part-time student at Langara, pursuing a career in education. He currently works as a security guard and enjoys soccer and ball hockey.

De Luna, 61, is a life skill instructor and a widow with two sons. She moved to Canada from the Philippines, 23 years ago.

Sidhu is a 27-year-old newly married corrections officer who plans to complete a degree in commerce before pursuing a career in the police force. He enjoys playing hockey, reading, movies and working out in the gym.

A male from the riding of Vancouver-Kingsway will be selected at a later date. In addition, 12 more members will be selected at two meetings in Vancouver on November 24th and 25th.  Selection began October 14th in Fort St. John, where the names of the first four Assembly members were drawn.

The Citizens’ Assembly on Electoral Reform is an independent, non-partisan group of British Columbians randomly selected from communities around the province to review the way we elect our provincial political representatives.  This process is unique in Canadian history; never has such a representative group of citizens played such a vital role in shaping the electoral process. 

By January, the Assembly will have 158 members from all over B.C. – one man and one woman from each of the 79 provincial electoral districts.  The Assembly will spend much of 2004 examining electoral systems used around the world and will decide if they should propose a change to B.C.’s current system of translating votes into seats in the Legislature.

If Assembly members recommend a change, B.C. voters will decide in a referendum on May 17, 2005, the date of the next provincial election.  Any change approved by the voters would take effect with the 2009 B.C. election.