News Release: Weekly Review

Several speakers swim against the tide

As Citizens’ Assembly members digested a further week of calls for reform to BC’s electoral system, during the latest sweep of hearings this week they also heard from those swimming strongly against the tide of change.

And while the hearings in Kamloops, Merritt, Lillooet, Princeton, Williams Lake and Salt Spring Island were largely characterized by a desire for greater proportionality in how the popular vote translates into seats in the legislature, they also offered pause for thought about the merits of change at all.

The strongest opposition to change came in Kamloops from three speakers.

"Proportional Representation comes from people like, with respect, the Green Party, who say that if they get five per cent of the vote then they should get five per cent of the seats (in the legislature) or it isn't fair,” said Darren Blois. “Who says a political system is about being fair? It's about electing government."

Marc Gregoire said mixed systems (with some seats going to constituency members and some to members from party lists) create different classes of members, and voters can't tell where the power really lies. He supported the Alternative Vote system as used in Australia (and in BC in 1952 and 1953) in which the voters rank candidates by preference.

But while they made their case, the majority of speakers in Kamloops – and in hearings elsewhere this week – told Citizens’ Assembly members to recommend a system that did indeed foster greater proportionality.

Among those calling for greater proportionality in the electoral system was Carole James, B.C. NDP leader. She said the NDP did not propose any specific electoral model, but she said any new system should be proportional, should treat all votes equally, should encourage voters to follow their actual preferences rather than strategic considerations, and should preserve strong regional representation.

In Lillooet, concerns circled around the same issue – with a Mixed Member Proportional (MMP) system cited by presenters. Two speakers told of being canvassers in the non-governmental Proportional Representation Initiative campaign in 2002, which collected 98,000 signatures in B.C. in 90 days.

Rod Webb argued that 4,000 canvassers and nearly 100,000 signatures showed the support across the province for MMP. But he expressed concern that MMP could mean enlarging rural ridings. Kim Chute also supported the introduction of an MMP system with amendments suggested by the Free Your Vote campaign. She said the current first-past-the-post system produces "corporatocracy" where the government bows to pressure from major corporations.

On Salt Spring Island today (Saturday), while most presenters proposed systems incorporating some proportional elements, this view was not unanimous. Ian McKinnon warned the Assembly that electoral change is “devilishly difficult” to implement.  He also cautioned them to carefully consider the implications of any change they might recommend on the behaviour of parties and the functioning of government.

In Merritt, Ava Dean told the hearing that after 40 years of voting she had come to the conclusion that the political preferences of voters are not reflected in BC’s legislature.  She criticized the current system for giving full political power to one party even though it may not even have the support of a majority of voters.  This, she said, can lead to “lame duck” oppositions who have so few seats that they are unable to hold the government to account.

And in Princeton, Harold Daykin proposed that BC adopt an electoral system that incorporates a limited degree of proportionality.  Under his system, most members of BC’s 79-member legislature would continue to be elected in single-member districts.  However, 18 members would be selected to add greater proportionality to the House.  These 18 “compensatory” seats would be allocated among regions of the province according to population.

Attendees at the Princeton hearing also discussed growing voter apathy. So too did those at the Williams Lake hearing, with Proportional Representation offered as a cure by two speakers. Pat Adams said the current system is outdated. "It is my contention that this is symptomatic of a population who has become disillusioned with voting primarily for a 'winner take all' party rather than an individual who would more truly represent their region and specific interests in the legislature."