B.C. needs proportional representation. Over the last few years I've been looking closely at democracy in Canada. It was really surprising to see that Canada elects governments that have less then 50 per cent of voters supporting them. This is the same for our provincial governments. Isn't Democracy the will of the majority of the people? The government of B.C. more often than not has less then 50 per cent support of citizens but is given all the power. Our government should have the support of the majority of people. Political parties should get the amount of power they deserve.
The reason we don't have a great democracy is because of our first past the post system of electing MLAs. It is outdated, broken and needs fixing. It's a winner take all voting system based solely on individual ridings, but the winner doesn't need 50 per cent of votes in a riding. Our MLAs often have less then 50 per cent of support in their riding. Our government, more often then not, has less then 50 per cent of vote and all the power. We need to do better.
Proportional representation is a way we can make our democracy better and actually democratic. It makes sure our government has the majority of people supporting it. If the Liberal party gets 40 per cent of the votes in B.C., then it gets 40 per cent of the power. Political parties get the power they earn, no more, no less. It gives more power and choice to the people. Your vote will always count and isn't wasted. It is a simple fix, it's common in most democracies around the world, and its time we bring it to B.C. The referendum is coming soon and we can make proportional representation happen. Vote yes for proportional representation.
Daniel Kelly
Prince George
