My congratulations to Premier John Horgan and his government in BC. They are keeping their word and moving forward with a referendum to replace the province’s “first past the post” electoral system with Proportional Representation (PR), so that every vote in every community counts.
The BC Attorney General’s report today, which lays out how the referendum will proceed, sets a new gold standard for such referenda in Canada. It offers the electorate an opportunity to vote on the principle of changing to a system based on PR, as well as three distinct options for the kind of PR they think best fits BC.
BC is leading the way in Canada in taking concrete steps to reform our outdated and undemocratic voting system that regularly allows political parties to win majority governments with a minority of the vote. It’s no wonder so many people feel disheartened about whether their vote counts.
Voting on the referendum begins on October 22nd. I look forward to the public debate. A vote for PR is a vote for better representation, more effective governance, and an improved democracy.
