I certainly appreciate the columns Todd Whitcombe has been contributing on proportional representation and the responses from some of your readers like John Warner.
Mr. Warner shares much the same thoughts as other constituents who believe that as MLAs we are "beholden to (our) party line." This is certainly not the case for the B.C. Liberals. Shirley Bond, myself and my caucus colleagues have the freedom to vote as we see fit, with the caveat of "no surprises." In other words, if we feel strongly about a certain bill before the house, we inform our caucus and our house leader prior to the vote taking place. I have witnessed this practice on several occasions since I've been a member of the legislature.
The B.C. Liberals are a coalition party of fiscal conservatives, centrists, liberals and conservatives - all who share the fundamental belief that we are free enterprisers. We are able to approach a wide range of topics and issues with diverse opinions and suggestions within our party and our caucus, and effectively collaborate to move these issues forward. Our caucus meetings can be lively as my caucus colleagues introduce their varied life experiences into the discussions. This is what effective politics is all about - sharing ideas around common values to arrive at solutions. We work as a team.
As a politician, my job provides me the time to access a broad range of information the average voter is not able to access nor would have the time to look into. It is my job to represent the interests of my constituents - not just B.C. Liberals or free enterprisers but all constituents, advocacy groups, unions, and yes, Greens, NDP and others regardless of political affiliation, and make my decisions based upon their input, the information I have access to and my life experiences and values.
I introduce these decisions and ideas to my "team" (B.C. Liberals) and work as a team to provide British Columbians with the services needed based upon a number of factors including our ability to pay. If you feel you haven't been heard, come on in and talk to me. We may end up disagreeing but I will always try to provide you with the reasons why.
In my view, those jurisdictions that have proportional representation have resulted in large and expensive government, constant stalemates and reduced capacity to respond to public issues.
Mike Morris, MLA,
Prince George-Mackenzie
