BC Liberal MLA Michelle Stilwell’s opinion piece on electoral reform published on Oct. 3 clearly misses the mark and does a disservice to your readers.
Ms. Stilwell seems to think that over 50 % of voters (or in her own words, “a strong majority of eligible voters”) is unfair, yet she didn’t have a problem when her own party held on to government several times with less than half of the votes.
Talk about unfair.
Stilwell also attempts to mislead voters, claiming our outdated voting system leads to better local representation, completely ignoring the fact that close to 55% of voters in her own riding voted for someone else. I’m sure many of Ms. Stilwell’s own constituents feel their votes were wasted under the current system.
The truth is that first-past-the-post isn’t working for British Columbians; many people feel left out at election time and many regions, especially rural communities, are underrepresented in our government. Proportional representation will ensure your vote counts, and will give people from every region a stronger voice. The number of MLAs in each region will be protected, and voters won’t have to worry about a “wasted vote” or “strategic voting.”
The real reason Ms. Stilwell, the BC Liberals and their wealthy supporters are desperate to keep the old way of voting is because it makes it easier for them to control government with a minority of votes. They are spreading misinformation and fear because they don’t want a voting system that gives more power to the people of B.C.
If you believe that every vote should count and that governments should better represent people, please join me in voting for proportional representation this fall.
Scott Fraser, MLA
Mid Island-Pacific Rim