To the Editor:
I look forward to the Advance “practising balanced journalism and accurately reporting on the issues affecting our community” (Mr. Eckersley, Sept. 27), by giving equal front page coverage to an informed proponent of the Proportional Representation system of voting.
Mr. Wilkinson certainly had his opportunity, and he is right that we should all discuss the upcoming referendum and make an informed decision. He is wrong that with Pro Rep, party bosses will choose our MLA’s. He is wrong that the “the NDP…is trying to rig the election system”. He is even wrong that “we have a long tradition of pretty effective government”.
If we had been practising Pro Rep in our last election, our riding would now be represented in the legislature by 28% Liberal MLAs (the percentage of votes received by our local Liberal candidate). Instead, we got 1 NDP MLA, who received 42% of the vote. (The First Past the Post system.) There is no Liberal member representing our riding in the current government. Would Mr. Wilkinson not prefer that his party also be represented in Victoria?
Mr. Wilkinson is correct: our local Liberal candidate would not have been quartered to have 28% of him/her sent to Victoria. Rather, Mr. Wilkinson, as party leader, in consultation with his party, would look regionally/provincially for a candidate to represent several smaller ridings. That person would be a 100% provincial Liberal MLA, representing the Liberals of our and other ridings.
The Attorney General of BC has guaranteed that any Pro Rep system will: retain MLA accountability to a specific geographic area; and no region will have fewer MLA’s than now.
We trust that the Advance will indeed balance the reporting on the referendum, before the ballots are sent out on October 22nd.
Thank you.
Clement Verhoeven | Creston
