Proportional Rep Initiative Fails

August 12, 2002

Proportional representation (PR) may not be as democratic as some people believe it to be. It should not only be about the number of seats we have according to population, it should be about how we elect the people to represent these seats.

The current system we have now, as most would agree, is badly flawed. The current system of "First past the post" where the electorate put an X by the one candidate they want has resulted more times than not in a minority government being elected. As a result, The NDP has governed the past 10 years with 38% of the vote, and the federal Liberals got re-elected by 40% of the vote. On the other side of the spectrum the BC Liberals in May of 2001 won by a landslide of 77 seats out of 79.

However, Proportional representation has also lead to a fractured or minority government, as it requires appointing representatives by the party. Parties, based on the percentage of their total votes won, are able to appoint from their list who they want to sit in the legislature. Bypassing the requirement of those who did not or could not get elected by the electorate on their own merits. These appointed individuals therefore, would be accountable to their party and not to the electorate. The same way the Governor General, Lt. Governor Generals, judicial body and Senators who are appointed by the Party Leaders are not accountable to the electorate, or anyone else, only to the person who appoints them. Is this the kind of system you want for British Columbia or for Canada?

Single transferable vote (STV) differs in that voters, who vote for the candidates in order of preference, successively remove the candidates with the least number of votes allocating their second choices to the remaining candidates, until all but one candidate has dropped out, or one candidate has a majority of the votes. The candidates who win a majority are not only elected, but end up being accountable to the electorate who in essence appointed them. Not the Party.

I must, however, commend Adriane Carr, her workers and supporters in their efforts in trying to implement an initiative on this or any other matter. The Initiative and Recall act is a farce designed by the NDP and endorsed by the BC Liberals, who in opposition supported this unworkable legislation.

We need to make the current act easier for the electorate to vote their opinion between elections not only at election time.

Ron Gamble

President

Reform Party of British Columbia

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For More Information contact:

Ron Gamble, President: 604-980-7779
PO Box 466, Surrey Main
Surrey, BC V3T 5B7