Published: October 27, 2008 6:00 PM
Updated: October 27, 2008 11:55 PM
Revelstoke Times - Review
On Oct. 14, voters in Canada were asked to elect Members of Parliament and ultimately to set the direction of government, yet this election saw the lowest turn out of eligible voters in Canada’s history. Canada faces many serious issues that deeply affect the average citizen, yet only 59.1 per cent of eligible voters took the time to go to the polls.
In the last provincial election in Alberta, only 42 per cent of eligible voters bothered to cast their vote, a voter turnout rate that is so low it rivals the American rate.
The fact that so many Canadians are turning away from voting should trouble us all. If we want our democracy to survive we must look at the changes we can make to improve our political system which will make it more meaningful to all of our citizens.
In British Columbia we have begun to work towards changing our electoral system. We have come to understand the difficulties with our ‘first past the post’ system and are now looking at implementing proportional representation. The Citizens’ Assembly on Electoral Reform has recommended a Single Transferable Vote system, and as a province we will be asked on May 12, 2009 to decide whether or not we want to adopt this system for future elections.
Based on my discussions with people it appears that the Single Transferable Vote system is not particularly well understood. Prior to the referendum in May 2009, we each need to more fully understand the advantages and disadvantages of what is being proposed.
I would encourage everyone to take the time to learn more. You can visit the Citizen’s Assembly website at www.citizensassembly.bc.ca and click on the BC-STV fact sheet. Or you can contact my office for more information at 1 (866) 870-4188. We can provide copies of the fact sheet for those who do not have access to the internet.
I will also be holding a series of informational sessions throughout the constituency in the new year to assist people in understanding the different types of electoral systems and to answer questions specifically about BC-STV.
We must work to protect our democracy and to ensure that as citizens we actively engage in the political process. It may take a change to our electoral system to increase our voter turnout. We need to take the time to learn more about BC-STV.