By Daryl Sturdy

Hand-picked facts to support PR

Jul 9, 2018 | 10:48 AM

KAMLOOPS — Mel Rothenburger attended a presentation by Dr. Denis Pilon of York University on the upcoming referendum on electoral reform.  In reporting on the presentation, he uses innuendo to negate the positive picture painted, of proportional representation (PR) in contrast to first-past-the-post  (FPTP), “preaching to the choir”, “frequent mimicry”, “mocking tone”, “found them (substance of his arguments) lacking”.

Rothenburger tries to undercut the positive experiences of the Scandinavian countries and others, including New Zealand, by inferring that they are not Canada.

What he doesn’t tell you is 5 facts about first-past-the-post.

1. FPTP represses the voices of around 50 per cent of voters in BC, this in contrast with countries such as Norway, Denmark, and Sweden, where over 90% of the votes cast go to electing a representative. With FPTP, non-NDP voters in NDP ridings might as well stay home on election day.  Non-Liberal voters in Liberal ridings and non-Green voters in Green ridings might as well do the same.  Under FPTP, their votes won’t count. Are you happy to perpetually sit on the sidelines?

2. Following along with number one, vast areas of BC have distorted representation.  The views of Liberal voters in the Lower Mainland are not represented.  The views of NDP and Liberal voters on parts of Vancouver Island are not represented.  In the Interior and the North, the views of Green and NDP voters are silenced.  Does this give us a health democracy?

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3. FPTP not only silences the voices above, it silences the voices of a large number of voters that don’t find a home under the umbrella of the two big tent parties, the Liberals and the NDP.  In the last election, despite gaining 17 per cent of the popular vote received only 3 per cent of the seats. BC Liberals were robbed when Glen Clark won, despite having a smaller per cent of the popular vote, than Gordon Campbell. Democracy in action.

4. Typically, the ruling party in BC governs with the consent of only 40 pre cent of the voters. The other 60 per cent are relegated to the sidelines and the governing party only has to satisfy the wishes of the minority who elected them.  This results in policy lurch, where the incoming party reverses the policies of the previous government. Right to left, left to right etc. Does this serve us well.

5. FPTP brings with it the tyranny of the swing riding, where only a small number of voters need to be swayed by targeted promises or targeted attack ads to have a disproportionate affect on the outcome of an election.  We’re all familiar with the very narrow margin of victory in the Comox/Courtenay riding.  All it would have taken was a switch in the votes of 169 people for the results of the election to be drastically different.  It’s been estimated that a relatively small change in the votes in the UK election would have resulted in a different outcome and no Brexit.  Proportional representation weakens this effect dramatically. Swing ridings make for great drama on election day, but do you want your future to be at the mercy of a few voters?