News release

Assembly digs into detail

Members of B.C.'s Citizens' Assembly on Electoral Reform dig into the details this coming weekend of electoral systems from around the world.

"You'll really be getting into the glue," jokes UBC political science professor Ken Carty, research director for the Assembly and a leader of the members' education program. "The devil is in the details."

Assembly members meet Saturday and Sunday (February 7-8)  at the Morris J. Wosk Centre for Dialogue at 580 West Hastings Street in downtown Vancouver. Meetings are open to the public, but space is limited and seating is first come, first served. Meeting times: Saturday, 9 a.m. – noon and 1:30 – 4:30; Sunday, 8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

This will be the third of six full weekends in which the members learn about electoral systems. In May and June, the Assembly will hold more than 40 public hearings up and down B.C. Members will then hold five full weekends of deliberation in the fall.

They must decide by Dec. 15 if they will propose a change to B.C.’s current system of translating votes into seats in the Legislature. If they recommend a change, it will be the subject of a referendum for all voters in the 2005 provincial election. Any change approved by the voters would take effect with the 2009 B.C. election.