British Columbians will be voting this fall, from Oct. 22 through to Nov. 30 on whether to adopt an electoral system based on proportional representation (PR) for our provincial elections. The voting package from Elections BC will arrive in the mailboxes of registered voters between Oct. 22 and Nov. 2, 2018.
In view of the upcoming referendum, the CV Council of Canadians will be hosting an information session with Barb Berger, chair of Fair Vote Comox Valley on Sat., Oct. 27 from 1:30-3:30 p.m. in the Rotary Hall, Filberg Centre, Courtenay.
“Our electoral system in BC is old. Like the rest of Canada, we inherited our first-past-the-post (FPTP) system from the United Kingdom. We didn’t choose it. It was chosen for us when BC joined Confederation in 1871,” said Sue Smith, of the CV Council of Canadians, in a press release. “With every FPTP election, there is frustration from people knowing that their votes will not count and their concerns will not be represented in the legislature. The pushback from the public to be heard on issues that affect their lives and their communities continues to grow.”
How can proportional representation help? What is this referendum all about? Berger will address these questions, FPTP and the three PR choices on the ballot.
Also Jamie Deith, a systems designer, extremely knowledge on electoral systems will lead guests through an enlightening questionnaire he’s designed to help determine what Canadians value in a voting system and if we lean toward FPTP or PR.
“The referendum is an historic opportunity to adopt a voting system that is fair, inclusive, engages all voters and allows our concerns to be heard,” said Smith.
Join the discussion, Sat., Oct. 27 from 1:30-3:30 pm. Doors 1:00 pm. Rotary Room, Filberg Centre, 411 Anderton Rd., Courtenay