Premier John Horgan has issued a statement demanding a referendum on proportional representation. This is the third time in 12 years. Are we playing baseball and this is will be the third strike? Sure does appear that way.
Vote counting and distribution reform are divisive issues. For rational people the question to ask is easy.
If we change the method of vote distribution, we should expect an improvement in the effectiveness and the efficiency of the day-to-day, as well as long-term, operation of the country, the province, the region or the municipality.
While most of the democratic countries use the "first past the post"(FPTP) system of voting, there are several which have varieties of systems such as a "single transferable vote" (STV) system and a smaller number that have a two-vote or "mixed-member proportional" system (MMP) system.
For instance, German and New Zealand both use a MMP system. Voters have two votes.
One vote is for the regional constituency representative; the second vote is for the party.
The national parliament is divided with seats for each of the regional representatives and the representatives are selected according to the percentage vote received by each of the registered political parties.
New Zealand has 16 parties/independents in the 2017 election with seven having representatives in parliament for a total of 121 seats.
Germany has 43 parties/independents with seven having seats in parliament for a total of 709 seats.
Given those numbers, the voters certainly have a wide choice. The problem of who holds the real power, however, remains the same. In New Zealand, it is two parties and in Germany it is three parties resulting from the 2017 elections.
In the final analysis, with any country or province, if one has more than two parties a significant number of people will be unhappy with the election results. In Germany, they took a poll after the recent election and about 40 per cent of the voters wished they would have voted differently.
It still comes down to having to form coalitions, either before or after the election.
If the coalition is unstable, nothing will get done other than tons of hot air in parliament, in the media, and on the campaign trail.
The question becomes is electoral reform a concern for the average Canadian and for the average British Columbian?
We saw that was not true in 2005 and again by a bigger margin in 2009.
We have been there, as have some other provinces in Canada.
Justin Trudeau was all for election reform during the election as well as in his early months as prime minister.
Much time and effort were put into this endeavor, but the results of consulting with the people of Canada led to the same realization that electoral reform was not the issue that was foremost in people's minds.
Just look to the south to see a country in bad need of electoral reform.
It has always fallen on deaf ears there.
Unlike our neighbours, the Canadian election process is so much better and transparent in comparison.
I am all for election reform but folks, enough is enough.
Let's move forward and get something done that is achievable and is accomplished.
Some of my issues are simple and, with support, easily done.
Let us focus on some of the real issues in BC.
The rural-urban divide; unequal health care across that divide; the same with education; inequities in regional economies; frivolous government spending; environmental regulations; energy security.
For those concerned about government reform, provide us with meaningful participation in government for those who want their voices heard at the time they need to be heard.
Voting every four years is not meaningful enough participation in the 21st century.
At election time, with social media, do we really need to spend so much money on signs?
We have radio, TV and newspapers, the internet, town hall meetings, just to name a few opportunities.
Will a candidate get your vote because they have more signs than another?
Shame on you if your answer is yes.
Get involved!
Government is more than putting an X on a ballot, especially if you put 1, 2, 3 on a ballot and your No. 3 choice is the best you get.
