BC voters have chance to create change

Next week, British Columbians will be going to the polls to choose who will govern them over the next few years. But they will also have the opportunity to make a choice with far longer ramifications: whether or not to change their electoral system. They may never vote the same way again.

In 1996, Gordon Campbell and the Liberal party of BC lost an election to the New Democratic Party despite winning 3% more of the popular vote. This result was widely seen as unfair, even though it was within the rules of the “First Past the Post” electoral system. Campbell promised that if he were elected in 2001, he would address the inequities of the system.

When he became premier, Campbell instituted a Citizens’ Assembly to study the electoral system and determine what changes, if any, should be made. The Assembly was composed at random of one man and one woman from each riding, plus two representatives of First Nations communities. After a year of study and public meetings, the Assembly concluded that changing to Single Transferable Vote (STV) would better reflect the values that mattered most to British Columbians: proportionality, choice and local representation.

Single Transferable Vote

STV seeks to maximize the number of voters who are able to elect a specific MLA of their choosing, by electing multi-partisan teams of MLAs to represent small regions within the province. Voters will be able to rank their choices numerically, rather than choosing only one. This means that their preferences will be taken into account even if their top choice does not have enough support to be elected.

STV is likely to ensure that all ridings will have both government and opposition MLAs, so no region can be ignored by the government. And since parties will have to put forward multiple candidates in the same region, the diversity of their slates is likely to increase, resulting in greater representation for women and visible minorities.

The style of governing will also likely change. With more proportional results, the governing party will not have disproportionate power and will need to negotiate with other parties to advance their agenda.

This is the second chance for STV – a referendum held in 2005 received 58% support for STV, but the government had set a threshold of 60% for the change to pass. Because of the close result, the government agreed to hold the referendum again. CPJ encourages our BC members and supporters to vote in favour of STV in next Tuesday’s referendum.

Electoral reform and public justice

CPJ’s interest in electoral reform grows out of our strong belief in justly accommodating diversity and respecting the reality of pluralism. We believe that the wide range of opinions and values Canadians hold need to find expression within our political institutions. Our legislatures should reflect the true diversity of opinion found in the country.

A more proportional electoral system helps ensure this by encouraging parties to take principled and distinct stands on various issues, and by allowing voters to more sincerely express their values at election time by reducing strategic voting.

Proportional representation, while an improvement on current practice, does not address all the problems of our political system. Some political parties tend towards central control of debates and policy development, entrusting elites to play these roles. Financing of political parties also remains an issue of concern, as some parties have vastly more resources than others. But electoral reform is an important first step in ensuring that Canadians are well-represented in our parliaments, in all of our diversity and complexity.

Electoral reform in the rest of Canada

Electoral reform is an issue that resurfaces regularly in Canadian debates. In 2004, the Law Commission of Canada recommended a mixed-member proportional representation system (MMP) be adopted for federal elections. In 2005, PEI held a referendum on MMP, which was defeated. In 2007, a referendum on MMP was held in Ontario, after a Citizen’s Assembly recommended electoral reform. The motion was defeated. Both the PEI and Ontario referendums were criticized for lacking public education campaigns on the issue. In Quebec and New Brunswick, commissions have also studied the electoral system and advocated for reform.

If BC voters become the first in the country to support electoral reform on May 12, the rest of the country will be reassured that the change is positive and can result in better governance that is more reflective of our diversity and complexity.

For more information, check out CPJ's brochure on electoral reform in BC or our position paper on electoral reform.