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Newsletter #1

1st December, 2003 : (Citizens' Assembly)
 

MEMBERS ASSEMBLED


The Citizens’ Assembly has now reached 157 members, with one member – a male from the electoral district of Vancouver-Kingsway – to be selected on December 8th. These members were randomly selected from all regions of British Columbia – one man and one woman from each of the 79 electoral districts.

 

As staff members travelled around the province for selection meetings in October and November, we have been impressed with British Columbians’ eagerness to serve their fellow citizens through membership on the Assembly.

 

Meetings always ended on a bittersweet note: the excitement of newly selected members contrasted with the evident disappointment of those who were equally willing, but whose names were not drawn.

 

To see who the members of the Assembly are, click here. You’ll find their names, home communities and a brief biography. (Photos will be added later.)

 

We think you’ll be impressed by how representative members are of the diversity found in B.C. They range from 18 to 80, from students to retired senior managers, from orchardists to loggers, from dentists to educators.

 

 The chart below graphs the ages of Assembly members against the ages of British Columbia’s population. As you can see, the Assembly is pretty representative of British Columbians when it comes to age distribution.

 

 

 

 

 WEBSITE RELAUNCHED 

 

If you haven’t visited our website recently, you’ll be pleasantly surprised by the improvements since we relaunched the site on November 24th. You’ll find new content and improved functionality.

 

As members of the Assembly study various electoral systems in January through March 2004, you can learn along with them by accessing online the same documents they receive. (See Learning Resources   on the website menu.)

 

You can also present your views for Assembly members to consider:  Make a Submission .

 

In addition, you will see what other British Columbians think about electoral reform. All submissions we receive will be listed on the website accompanied by an abstract. Those submissions provided to us in electronic form will also be posted in full:  Click here.

 

For those who are really keen, background documents are available. Check out  History of CA . As well, there are links to relevant websites and a list of suggested readings:  Learning Resources .

 

STAFF DEPLOYED

 

Assembly staff has been in place for several months now; the last staff member was hired in September. You can get to know staff members online. From the website menu, select  CA Staff .

 

In addition to managing the logistical complexities of selection meetings, new member needs, and planning for the activities of 2004, staff members have been actively seeking opportunities to spread the word about the Citizens’ Assembly.

 

BRITISH COLUMBIANS ENGAGED

 

We have been out speaking to community, professional and educational groups and actively seeking media coverage. Requests for presentations about the Citizens’ Assembly are also coming from other centres in Canada. In the past three months alone, news media in B.C. have carried over 220 stories and items about the Assembly.

 

Even though Assembly members have not yet begun their work, we have already received about 25 submissions – ranging in length from a single paragraph to 20 pages.

 

A letter and information about bringing the Citizens’ Assembly into classrooms has been sent to all Grade 11 social studies teachers in the province as part of an Elections BC educational package. This will go to approximately 430 teachers.

 

Also, a section of our website is devoted to supporting the interests and needs of the education community. This content will grow as the Assembly gets underway. (Select   Educational Resources from the website menu.)

 

Public awareness is a top priority for the Assembly. If, in December 2004, the Assembly recommends a change in our electoral system, B.C. voters will be faced with a referendum question and need to be sufficiently engaged to make an informed decision.

 

CONFERENCE PLANNED

 

The British Columbia Political Studies Association has based the theme of its upcoming conference around the Citizens’ Assembly initiative. The conference, entitled Elections, Representation and Governance in the 21st Century, will be held on April 30 and May 1 at Kwantlen University College in Richmond. Assembly research staff members have been invited to participate. www.sfu.ca/igs/agm.html

 

MEMBER HONOURED

 

We were saddened to hear of the death of one of our members. Max Malthus was the fourth British Columbian selected to serve on the Assembly. His name was drawn on October 14th in Fort St. John. He passed away on November 6th after a brief illness. Max was 75. We honour him for his willingness to serve his fellow British Columbians by volunteering for membership on the Assembly.

 

PERFORMANCE EVALUATED

 

There will be two significant initiatives to monitor and evaluate the Assembly.

 

The first is a program of regular assessments of how effectively materials are prepared and presented to Assembly members, how well discussion groups are lead, and how members’ support services could be improved. This will be accomplished through regular evaluations each time the Assembly meets.

 

The second research initiative will explore the very success of the Assembly itself as a way of involving citizens in public policy decision-making. This research project should provide us with invaluable information for an assessment of how Citizens' Assembly processes work. The Assembly research staff is doing this work in partnership with an 'outside' expert, Professor André Blais of the University of Montreal, one of Canada's leading researchers on electoral systems and attitudes.

 

LEARNING PHASE PLANNED

 

The first weekend of meetings for Assembly members will be held on January 10 and 11. They will discuss governance procedures and lay the groundwork for their year of working together. Then they will dive into the study of issues and concepts related to electoral systems.

 

SPREAD THE WORD

 

Do you know of others who might like to follow the progress of the Assembly by subscribing to this newsletter? They can do so simply by going to CA Newsletter

 

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