Rafe Mair column

True reform from B.C.

[The following column by Rafe Mair ran in community newspapers of the MetroValley News Group on February 25 or 26, 2004. It is reproduced here by kind permission of both Rafe and MetroValley (part of the B.C. Newspaper Group family). Rafe also broadcasts on radio AM600 in the Lower Mainland.]

Along with the terrible stenches wafting our way from Ottawa and Victoria, I sense the odour of reform in the air.

From Victoria we have the astonishing Walls matter where the government hired, as CEO for Crown-controlled public committee, a man under investigation for a cool million-dollar cheque-kiting affair.

Then, from Ottawa, news that, to the great surprise of the Prime Minister, a Quebec MP, during the time he was in charge of the nations’ business, laundered huge sums of money through tame and Liberal-loving ad agencies, to various little piggies at the ever-active Quebec public tit.

I’ve no doubt that there’s been a public appetite for serious reforms to our system of governance for a long time. If the Charlottetown "Accord" exercise of 1992 did nothing else, it clearly demonstrated that British Columbians not only know that there’s something wrong, but also have a pretty good idea where the main problems lie.

The roadblock to reform has, however, come from governments who like the present system, thank you very much. After all, it got them elected, didn’t it? The public, anger seething in the breast, knew that they wanted change but until recently couldn’t see a way they could do anything.

In a very courageous move, Premier Campbell set up the Citizens’ Assembly on Electoral Reform.

When he made this commitment, many, including me, didn’t believe him. Even after Gordon Gibson reported to the government how this might be done, most of us, I dare say, doubted anything would come of it. But, after much agonizing debate in Caucus and Cabinet, the Premier did indeed put the Citizens’ Assembly in place under a well known educator, Jack Blaney, and off to work it did go.

I was skeptical that a commission of 160 people, selected by lot, could do anything. Surely bickering would be constant and it would die an early death. But it hasn’t. Mr. Blaney tells me that the commission members are tickled pink at the chance to bring forth recommendations which, if they so decided, could fundamentally alter our electoral system.

This isn’t just a British Columbia story. It’s attracted attention right across the country. Even some federal politicians have picked up on this issue.

The Charlottetown Referendum apart, this is the first time Canadians have had a chance to propose systemic reforms in a way that would force governments to act. It may very well be that the roadblock in the way of reform has been breached in an action that, should a reform like Proportional Representation be recommended, could shorten the political lives of Gordon Campbell and his colleagues.

This idea, I might just add, had as its parents an ad hoc committee composed of Nick Loenen, a former Socred MLA who has done enormous research into electoral systems; Gary Lauk, a former NDP cabinet minister who has long been recognized for his interest in matters constitutional; Gordon Gibson, former MLA and Liberal Party leader; and myself.

We worked on a proposition whereby British Columbians could look at their own political system and we publicized our findings.

The fact that Mr. Campbell acted on this report was amazing, but something more amazing is that, because the notion is working, others, including the feds, may do something similar. If that happens, it means that the frustrated citizen, who long ago knew that his opinions mean nothing, will have a real and important influence for change.

The country has been slowly strangling itself; not because Canadians didn’t recognize the need for reform, but because there seemed to be no way it could happen.

Maybe, just maybe, nation-saving reform might come from where the smug Central Canadian "establishment": would least expect it – our own British Columbia.