By Chad Klassen

Electoral reform committee discovers desire for change

Oct 3, 2016 | 4:46 PM

KAMLOOPS — After months of canvassing voters in the Kamloops-Thompson-Cariboo riding, a group of community members that formed a committee on election reform has concluded there is overwhelming desire for change. 

Murray Todd says many people expressed frustration with the First-Past-The-Post voting system, which sees the winning candidate take the seat, regardless of the margin of victory.

According to the committee, about 90% of the participants said they would prefer a Proportional Representation system.

“One of the things we heard was people it forces people to strategically vote, so you’re forced to take your second choice or your third choice in a sense. People resented the fact that they have to do that,” says Todd. “There was also a lot of sentiment that if a party receives 25% of the vote, then they get 25% of the seats. That’s not happening either.” 

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Todd says the feedback has been sent to the Special Committee on Electoral Reform in Ottawa. He hopes it leads to electoral change, as promised by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

“What we hope for is a system that people will find is fair, accessment, it gives them a range of choices as to what it is they want in their Member of Parliament,” says Todd.