By Chad Klassen

Debate on proportional representation shows province is split on electoral reform

May 25, 2018 | 5:48 PM

KAMLOOPS — A vote on whether the province should switch its voting system to proportional representation will be decided this fall. 

The NDP government has yet to formulate a question for the referendum, but it hasn’t stopped the debate about whether to keep the current first-past-the-post system or make the chance. 

At the B.C. Chamber of Commerce annual general meeting in Kamloops on Friday, Kamloops Chamber President Joshua Knaak hosted a four-panel discussion on the idea of proportional representation.  

Sonia Furstenau, MLA for Cowichan Valley and one of three Green Party members in the B.C. Legislature, feels a switch to proportional representation would lead to more regional representation – a benefit, she says, to rural communities in the province. 

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“What happens in first-past-the-post is you actually get a lack of regional representation, so when you look at the northern ridings in B.C. we only have two representatives from government. The rest are Liberal representatives,” she stated. “So northern B.C. feels right now sort of left out of the equation. Yet, a significant number of people up there did not vote Liberal.”

That is at the core of the argument in favour of proportional representation, which is meant to ensure the percentage of votes for a certain party is reflected in the B.C. Legislature. 

Lawyer Bruce Hallsor is also for the new voting system, arguing it ensure there are no “safe” seats, which has been the case in the two Kamloops ridings for the Liberals. 

“Sixty-nine of the 87 seats stayed with the same person,” said Hallsor. “There’s a huge incumbent advantage. We hear talk of safe seats and swing seats, and most of the seats in this province are safe seats. I live in a seat that is always New Democrat. 2001 was a change for a lot of seats, but there are people who live in Kelowna who will never see a New Democrat.”

But those on the other side of the debate want to preserve the first-past-the-post system, arguing there’s a reason Kamloops has been Liberal because the majority of voters are Liberal supporters. 

Political commentator Bill Tieleman says there shouldn’t even be a referendum after the single-transferable-vote (STV) system failed in 2009 when first past the post won with 60 per cent. He also believes local representation would be lost. 

“If you look at our current legislature of 87 seats, maybe you’d have 50 seats that are geographic and 37 or more that are not,” he said. “We may have to add seats. How many more politicans and how much would that cost? So lets say we have 50 geographic seats, going down from 87. We’re going to shrink all of the seats. Make the seats larger and shrink the number. What is one riding now might be two ridings, and those will be rural ridings.”

Tieleman says the remaining politicians would be choosen by the party from a list with no voter say. Mike Morris, MLA for Prince George-MacKenzie, argued during the panel that the proportional representation model simply wouldn’t be constitutional. 

“The population deviation per electoral district, in order to provide that effective representation, shouldn’t deviate by more than 10-25 per cent at the most. That was brought into legislation back in those days and that has led to the system we have here to make sure that everybody’s vote in British Columbia is equal,” said Morris. “Under proportional representation, that wouldn’t.”

A date has not been set, but the province is required to hold the referendum on electoral reform before Nov. 30.