In October, I will be asked if I am in favour of maintaining BC’s current political voting system or changing to a proportional representation model. What I would really like to see is a system of selecting MLA’s, similar to Kimberley’s civic elections, in which candidates express their points of view during the election period and then their names (without parties) appear on a ballot. The provincial government would be made up of regional independents. Once in Victoria, they would elect the premier and the cabinet members from amongst themselves. For the premier and the cabinet to keep governing, they would need to listen to their MLA`s and use some variant of consensus decision-making to set agendas and to propose, amend or reject and pass legislation. Nunuvat uses this kind of model.
I often read with interest the Daily Bulletin’s summaries of what different councillors in Kimberley have to say on the variety of issues they consider. What strikes me most is that they are free from political party “whips” and speak and vote freely on each issue. Debate is less cantankerous and more respectful than in higher legislative institutes where party fidelity is sacred. Sure, natural alliances form (and fall apart), but each of the six councillors has a fair say and the vote does not always align the same way every time.
BC’s current political system of majority rule has been hijacked by narrowly defined business, labour and environmental interest groups. For too long, there has been a “winner take all” approach and leaders prefer to rule rather than to govern. The proposed change to proportional representation can often give smaller parties, in coalition with other parties, a disproportionate amount of say. I would very much like to see the banning of political parties in BC (dream on!) and the choice of implementing a freely independent electoral system in BC, similar to the one which serves Kimberley’s City Council so well.
Grant Smith, Kimberley