Reforms on the way

By Dan Hilborn
Published Sept. 8, 2004


There's a sense of optimism and hope coming from the Burnaby members of the Citizens' Assembly on Electoral Reform as they head into the home stretch in their unique experiment in democracy.

This weekend, the 160-member assembly will begin the 'deliberation phase' of its year-long exercise, where members will try to develop recommendations on making the B.C. voting system more fair and equitable.

"There's been a lot of work so far, but I feel that we have enough information and background to be able to make a decision," said Adina Irimescu, a 21-year-old commerce student at UBC who is one of two assembly members from Burnaby-Willingdon.

The assembly must come up with its final recommendation this fall whether or not to change from the existing 'first past the post' system of balloting, which has been used in British Columbia since the early 1950s.

Irimescu, the second youngest member of the assembly, said she will recommend in favour of whatever system has the most public support. "I would just go with what people in general want," she said. "The point is to make as many people in B.C. as happy as possible."

And Irimescu believes the majority of speakers and submissions to date are in favour of a mixed member proportional (MMP) system of voting - something better known as proportional representation.

Craig Henschel, a 44-year-old intern architect who also lives in Willingdon, said he has already filled an entire bookcase with the submission he's received, and he too is optimistic about the work so far.

"From what I've heard, people clearly want some degree of local representation," said Henschel, who is leaning in favour of two of the proposals made thus far: MMP and something called STV, the single transferable vote.

"STV is a preferential ballot where you rank the candidates in order of preference: first choice, second choice and so on," Henschel said. "And the riding would have more than one member - perhaps three to seven members."

Henschel said STV is similar to the voting systems used in Ireland, Tasmania and Malta, while the MMP system is similar to that used in Germany and New Zealand.

"I feel both of these systems have significant advantages over our current system," he said. "Our discussions will be which one do we prefer the most, but the choice is not between good or bad, it's between better and best."

The MMP system is strongly supported by B.C. Green Party leader Adrienne Carr and her Free Your Vote campaign, while the STV system is most strongly supported by former Social Credit cabinet minister Nick Loenen.

Sam Todd, a 44-year-old construction sales manager who represents the Burquitlam riding, said much of his confidence in the process lies in the fact that he and the other assembly members were chosen at random.

"Every system has its pros, and every system has its cons," said Todd. "And every once in a while democracy has to change itself. Years ago, it was rich Greek landowners had a democracy in Socrates' time. And now it'll be interesting to see what history has to say about all this.

"Let's be frank. There are so many special interest groups, ... everyone is cynical," said Todd. "But we're not political. We're the furthest thing from being political."

Like the other assembly members from Burnaby contacted for this story, Todd wants to finish the public input portion of the meetings before making up his mind on which system to recommend.

"I'm leaning towards a couple of things that I think will work, but there's still a lot to be done," he said. "Somebody could still change my mind and that's the great thing about this. It's going down to the wire."

That view is shared by Gerry Hurst, a 69-year-old retired teacher who represents Burnaby-Edmonds. "I think most of us are just coming to grips with all of the submissions," said Hurst. "We've all come from ground zero, so to speak, and we've had a lot of education in regards to the political voting systems.

"Probably by our second meeting in September we'll have a better understanding of where we're heading," Hurst said. "But it's funny. You have your thoughts about what's best, then you read something else and discuss it with other people, and then those thoughts are eliminated and you think of something else. ... As you learn more, you decide differently."

In addition to receiving more than 1,500 written submissions, the assembly heard 387 verbal presentations from more than 2,700 people who attended a series of public meetings held in May and June, including one meeting in Burnaby. Nine of those speakers have been invited back to this weekend's deliberations.

If the assembly members recommend a change, their proposal will be the subject of a referendum to be held in conjunction with the May 2005 provincial election.

More detailed information on the assembly and the proposals they are reviewing can be found at the website, www.citizensassembly.bc.ca.