News release - Courtenay hearing

History recalled in bid to shape future

An overflow audience of over 100 in Courtenay Wednesday heard a number of speakers preface calls for change to B.C.’s electoral system by recalling the historical roots of our democracy.

Drawing lessons from different societies and different periods, the speakers concluded at a public hearing of the Citizens' Assembly on Electoral Reform that change is needed.

Bill Peters, a reference librarian in B.C.’s legislature for 24 years, told Citizens’ Assembly members that the imposition of party solidarity in B.C. in the early part of the 20th century has stifled debate of issues and created an adversarial system.

In a history lesson from ancient Greece, Angus Ramsey recounted the creation of the first citizens’ assembly in Attica in 594 BC. Addressing the Assembly members, he said: "I’m praying that this Citizens’ Assembly will be the seed to revitalize our democracy."

Recalling the roots of B.C.’s current first-past-the-post electoral system in the British parliamentary system, Ralph Keller went on to recount the evolutions that system has undergone. "When we look at history," he concluded, "we see that there is nothing unusual about evolution in the democratic process."

"Tinkering with our beloved democratic process is a weighty matter," Keller said, but added: "It is clear to me that in order to save our beloved democratic system, it needs to change."

Also harking back to 19th century England, John Wood stated: "Although the character of society and the concepts of democracy have greatly changed since then the voting system has remained virtually the same over the last 100 plus years. . . .The old first-past-the-post system . . . is not suitable for modern democratic society."

Many speakers spoke in support of the mixed member proportional representation system (MMP). Among them, 20-year-old Eric Brown said his vision of the kind of province he wants to live and vote in is "one where I am confident that my values are represented within the government. . . . Proportional representation facilitates the creation of policies that reflect the interests of a larger segment of society."

Gwyn Frayne and Barb Berger, representing the Comox Valley Chapter of the Council of Canadians, told the hearing: "It is our contention that we need to build into any electoral reform some guarantees that ensure accountability, multi-cultural diversity, rural representation, and incentives for voting by young adults and the largely under-represented poor."

One audience member urged the Assembly to consider the impact of any new electoral system on the business community, saying that business can adapt to anything but instability. Another expressed a preference for a system that would require candidates to be elected by a majority of voters through preferential ballots. And two others felt that the problem lay not with the electoral system, but with parties.

Other ideas included:

The next public hearings are in Nanaimo on Thursday (May 27) and Vancouver on Saturday (May 29).

A full schedule of hearings – as well as information on how to sign up to make a presentation – is on the Assembly’s website at www.citizensassembly.bc.ca.

The Assembly is an independent, representative, non-partisan group of 160 randomly selected British Columbians. They must decide by December 15 whether to propose a change to BC’s electoral system. If they recommend a change, it will be the subject of a referendum for all voters in the May 2005 provincial election.