News release - Fort Nelson public hearing

North opposes enlarged ridings

Mayor Chris Morey and the people of Fort Nelson had one clear message for members of the Citizens’ Assembly on Electoral Reform Tuesday night: “Don’t increase the size of our riding.”

Their concern is that the voice of northerners would be diminished if ridings were enlarged.  Already the Peace River North riding, in which Fort Nelson is located, is immense – over 160,000 square kilometres. 

Assembly chair Jack Blaney said he heard some support for greater proportionality at the Fort Nelson meeting, “but not at the expense of enlarging their electoral district.”

 “Nothing is more important than power to the people,” said Mayor Morey.  “The voice of the north must be heard.”  Northerners need a system that recognizes the geographic vastness of their region, as well as the area’s economic importance, she added. 

Victoria resident and Assembly member Chris Andersen was impressed with the turnout and participation at the hearing.  “The north doesn’t want to be treated like the Lower Mainland. They need their local representative,” he concluded. 

Andersen also heard frustration with BC politics: a feeling that votes don’t count, that politicians aren’t responsive to the public. People in the north feel they don’t have much political clout, despite the enormous economic contribution the area makes to the province, he said.  “They feel no one pays attention to the region.  They pull the resources out, but nothing visible is returned.”

Participants in the meeting also expressed concern that party discipline diminishes the local MLA’s ability to fully represent constituents.  Assembly member and Fort Nelson resident Darleen Dixon summed up the evening, “We need the vote of the north to have strength.” 

While electoral boundaries are outside the Assembly’s mandate, the electoral system it recommends could have implications for the size of BC’s electoral districts.

The next Citizens’ Assembly public hearings are in Fort St. John on Wednesday (May 12), Dawson Creek on Thursday (May 13) and Ucluelet, Powell River and Victoria all on Saturday (May 15).

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.