Most of us recognize what a privilege it is to be able to cast a ballot for our representatives of choice, or on issues that matter deeply to us.
In many parts of the world, people aren’t afforded that opportunity. Voting is one of the most important ways that we participate in our democracy, and it’s something we all hold dear.
Sadly, this important practice is being undermined by the current government’s actions around its upcoming referendum on electoral reform, which could dramatically change how we elect our provincial representatives. Instead of an open, transparent and fair process — which you would expect to see when it comes to something as fundamental as changing our democracy — we’re getting a rush job that’s created nothing but confusion and anger in our communities.
And I should point out, that’s only if you’ve heard anything about the referendum at all. Most people I’ve talked to, in my home riding of Shuswap and beyond, don’t feel like they’ve been properly engaged in this process.
Despite having more than a year to get things going, the NDP waited until the first day of summer to make the referendum rules public. We all know that’s the time of year when more people are focused on family vacations rather than politics. They’ve also timed the referendum close to the municipal elections happening across B.C., which serves as another distraction.
So what’s the big rush, if a change to our electoral system won’t come into effect until the fall of 2021?
When B.C. went through this process in 2005, it took more than a year and involved a formal Citizens’ Assembly. Comprised of British Columbians from all across the province, this independent group thoroughly reviewed a variety of electoral reform options before making recommendations to the public. Voters were supported with the proper time and resources to make an informed choice. The 2009 referendum process was also very informative, with the addition of electoral boundary maps so voters could actually see the potential changes they were voting for, or against.
That’s not the case this time around. Not to mention the government has also lowered the threshold for the referendum to pass. Only 50 per cent support will be needed to change our voting system, and the NDP has removed a second regional threshold that ensures rural voices are properly heard.
Let’s be clear: there’s a very good reason why the Premier and Attorney General have done all this. They want low participation to achieve their desired result.
That desired result is a switch to a system of proportional representation (PR), which will greatly benefit their partners in the Green Party by giving them more seats in the Legislature. Make no mistake, this entire process has more to do with power-brokering between these two parties than actually improving our electoral system. This is about making life better for the NDP and Greens, not for British Columbians.
The reality is that a switch to PR will have a number of negative consequences, especially for people in more rural areas of the province. It could mean some of our representatives wouldn’t be “elected” but instead, “selected” from a party list. Maybe they wouldn’t even hail from your area, or understand the local issues you need them to raise for you in the Legislature.
What’s more, there’s plenty of evidence to show that PR leads to bigger administrations, which cost the taxpayer more. An analysis done by The Fraser Institute found that the average expense of governments of PR countries was 24.3 per cent higher than those of First Past the Post countries. This is largely because coalition governments have to spend more on the niche interests of their partners.
We’ve already seen this unfolding in B.C., as the NDP and Greens set up a ‘secretariat’ to the tune of $1 million over four years to settle their differences. That’s $1 million of taxpayers’ money supporting a political relationship to keep the NDP in power. Shouldn’t that money go towards the services British Columbians rely on instead?
The situation would worsen if we adopted PR. If we considered the impact of a 24.3 per cent increase on expenses as a per cent of GDP in B.C., we would see government costs rise more than $13 billion. Expect to see taxes or our provincial debt go up to accommodate that.
These are big consequences that should not be taken lightly. British Columbians need to know the facts and understand what’s being presented to them, which is incredibly challenging under the tight timeline and slanted process set up by the NDP to satisfy their Green partners. They should do better.
I’m looking forward to our leader Andrew Wilkinson debating John Horgan about the referendum in the coming weeks, and hopefully getting some answers.
Greg Kyllo, Shuswap MLA
