News Release: Victoria public hearing June 10

Victoria: New start time for hearing on electoral reform

Due to the high level of interest from presenters in Victoria, the public hearing of the Citizens’ Assembly on Electoral Reform taking place on Thursday, June 10, will now begin early.

Presentations by the public will now start at 4pm – more than two hours earlier than previously scheduled – in order to allow Assembly members to hear from as many people in Victoria as possible.

The hearing at the Harbour Towers Hotel (Salon B), 345 Quebec Street, Victoria, begins at 4pm and will run until 9:30pm, with a break from 5:30pm-6:30pm.

All residents of Victoria, Sidney and surrounding communities are encouraged to attend, learn about the Assembly and share their thoughts on electoral options and what political values they hold dear.

At least 13 members of the Citizens’ Assembly are due to attend the hearing. It will begin with presentations from those who have pre-registered with the Assembly. After the formal presentations, Assembly members hope to engage all attendees in an open dialogue.

The meeting is one of 50 taking place throughout BC during May and June – and the second in Victoria.

"Our Preliminary Statement to the People of British Columbia invited public input on the province’s electoral system, and on the values British Columbians’ want reflected in it – such as local representation, voter choice and proportionality," says Assembly chair Dr. Jack Blaney.

"This is a time for discussion and debate and we invite all British Columbians to join us in this process."

Members will discuss what they learned from the May and June hearings at a meeting of the full Assembly in Prince George on June 26-27. Then in the fall, the 160 members of the Assembly, who come from all over BC, will hold several full weekends of deliberation, culminating in a final recommendation.

Members must decide by December 15 if they will propose a change to BC’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 May 2005 provincial election. Any change approved by the voters would take effect with the 2009 BC election.