The electoral reform movement is building and there's excitement in the air! Witness the following exciting news from Fair Vote Canada.
24 Days to Victory: register now for the April 18 AGM in Vancouver
The first Fair Vote Canada AGM to be held in British Columbia takes place on Saturday, April 18, at the Segal Business School in downtown Vancouver. The AGM theme is “24 Days to Victory”, indicating the countdown to the critically important BC-STV referendum on May 12.
Our eighth annual meeting will feature a great line-up of speakers, including Rafe Mair, Rick Anderson, Judy Rebick, Jim Harris, as well as BC-STV campaign leaders.
See the full agenda and online registration form at www.fairvotecanada.eventbrite.com. We hope to see all of our British Columbia members and many others at this important event to support the BC-STV campaign.
BC-STV campaign rolling ahead: please donate and volunteer
The BC-STV campaign is now in high-gear. Regional organizers and committees are in place, additional campaign staff are being hired, materials are being prepared and distributed. If you are in BC or elsewhere, please visit www.stv.ca. If you can volunteer, please sign up now. Wherever you live: please donate to help win this nationally significant referendum.
Facebook enthusiasts can check out a number of related Facebook groups: Yes for BC-STV (the main campaign group), Friends of BC-STV (set up for supporters outside of BC), New Democrats for BC-STV, plus other regional BC-STV groups throughout BC.
BC-STV cross-country house parties
Kenn Fisher, who serves on the executive of the Toronto Chapter wants electoral reformers in all parts of the country to organize BC-STV house parties on a designated day to show our support and help raise money for the BC campaign. Stay tuned for more details or contact Kenn at kenneth.fisher@utoronto.ca.
Allan Blakeney, Nancy Ruth, Stephen Owen join FVC Advisory Board
The FVC National Council is pleased to announce the appointment of three more people to the FVC National Advisory Board: Allan Blakeney, former NDP premier of Saskatchewan and past president of the Canadian Civil Liberties Association; Senator Nancy Ruth of the Conservative Party, and founder of the Canadian Women’s Foundation; and Stephen Owen, former Liberal MP and cabinet minister, and currently the Vice President for External, Legal and Community Relations, University of British Columbia.
The National Advisory Board now has a total of 37 distinguished Canadians who support the fair voting movement.
New chapters formed in three provinces
The fair voting movement continues to spread across the country. The FVC National Council has recently welcomed three new chapters: Fair Vote Canada, Saskatchewan Chapter; Fair Vote Canada, New Brunswick Chapter; and Fair Vote Canada, Peterborough and the Kawarthas Chapter.
Sell-out crowd at Toronto electoral reform forum
Fair Vote Ontario organizers were delighted by the great response to their January 21 forum in Toronto: “Moving Forward on Electoral Reform”. The forum organizers had to cut off registration several days in advance because the demand was exceeding the size of the 175 seat conference room.
For those who did attend, the event was very informative, interesting and motivating. Among the many highlights was the final panel addressing “How I would put electoral reform back on the national agenda”. Journalist Andrew Coyne, Greenpeace executive director Bruce Cox, and former Green Party leader Jim Harris provided a rousing end to a great day.
About This Blog
Monday, March 23, 2009
Thursday, March 5, 2009
BCCA Alumnus Speaks from the Heart
The following presentation was by Brooke Bannister, a former member of the BC Citizens Assembly on Electoral Reform, on the occasion of the 5th anniversary of the BCCAER and conference on BC-STV which took place January 2009.
Hope. My dictionary defines it as "to intend with some possibility of fulfillment." It’s been written about, talked about and sung about since we inhabited this great planet.
Emily Dickenson wrote
Joseph Addison quipped: “The grand essentials to happiness in this life are something to do, something to love, and something to hope for.“
And from Christopher Reeve: “Once you choose hope, anything's possible.”
So, when I think of all the things we’re trying to do at this Conference, I think it’s mainly to sell hope to the BC voter. It’s hope that from May 13, 2009 on, voters will have a more direct say in what our politicians do … before, during, and after an election.
This is why this campaign is so important. And why we must have the following focuses when tackling this job: more positive action and less negative distraction … more on the future and less about the past … more focus about how many spirits we’re going to rise as opposed to how much money we’re going to raise … more about the Citizens’ Assembly and less about the Legislative Assembly. We need more passion and less inaction … more information about Ireland and less about any other land. We need more Shoni Fields and less Bill Tieleman. In other words, more yea-sayers and less nay-sayers.
Once we do all of these positive things, democracy will prevail on May 12. Then we can promise ourselves and fellow British Columbians a future with much more than greater choice, fairer results, and better local representation. We’ll get legislatures with greater proportion and less distortion … more democracy and less hypocrisy … more optimism and less cynicism … more diversity and less perversity … and more independents and less co-dependents … government by coalition instead of constant competition … and maybe best of all, more women and less men.
When I wake up May 13, I want to feel like our democracy was given a new lease on life. This is our chance to make history … not just for British Columbia, but for all of Canada as well. (Do you have any doubt that when BC votes for a unique, new voting system, the rest of Canada will be watching and taking notes?)
The BC-STV Vote isn't just a referendum for an electoral system. This is our Barack Obama, our Nelson Mandela, our beacon of hope from a world scarred by political misuse and mistrust. Somehow we've lost respect for the process and the people in it, and I sincerely hope this is a way to get it back.
We’re not doing this for ourselves; we’re doing it for our kids and grandkids, and their kids and grandkids. Let’s make them proud. Let’s give them hope.
This, my Dear Friends, is a battle we can’t afford to lose.
The world is watching.
Hope. My dictionary defines it as "to intend with some possibility of fulfillment." It’s been written about, talked about and sung about since we inhabited this great planet.
Emily Dickenson wrote
Hope is the thing with feathers;
That perches in the soul;
And sings the tunes without the words;
And never stops at all.
Joseph Addison quipped: “The grand essentials to happiness in this life are something to do, something to love, and something to hope for.“
And from Christopher Reeve: “Once you choose hope, anything's possible.”
So, when I think of all the things we’re trying to do at this Conference, I think it’s mainly to sell hope to the BC voter. It’s hope that from May 13, 2009 on, voters will have a more direct say in what our politicians do … before, during, and after an election.
This is why this campaign is so important. And why we must have the following focuses when tackling this job: more positive action and less negative distraction … more on the future and less about the past … more focus about how many spirits we’re going to rise as opposed to how much money we’re going to raise … more about the Citizens’ Assembly and less about the Legislative Assembly. We need more passion and less inaction … more information about Ireland and less about any other land. We need more Shoni Fields and less Bill Tieleman. In other words, more yea-sayers and less nay-sayers.
Once we do all of these positive things, democracy will prevail on May 12. Then we can promise ourselves and fellow British Columbians a future with much more than greater choice, fairer results, and better local representation. We’ll get legislatures with greater proportion and less distortion … more democracy and less hypocrisy … more optimism and less cynicism … more diversity and less perversity … and more independents and less co-dependents … government by coalition instead of constant competition … and maybe best of all, more women and less men.
When I wake up May 13, I want to feel like our democracy was given a new lease on life. This is our chance to make history … not just for British Columbia, but for all of Canada as well. (Do you have any doubt that when BC votes for a unique, new voting system, the rest of Canada will be watching and taking notes?)
The BC-STV Vote isn't just a referendum for an electoral system. This is our Barack Obama, our Nelson Mandela, our beacon of hope from a world scarred by political misuse and mistrust. Somehow we've lost respect for the process and the people in it, and I sincerely hope this is a way to get it back.
We’re not doing this for ourselves; we’re doing it for our kids and grandkids, and their kids and grandkids. Let’s make them proud. Let’s give them hope.
This, my Dear Friends, is a battle we can’t afford to lose.
The world is watching.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
FAQ: What are the benefits of STV over FPTP?
STV delivers near proportionality, thus fairer results. That is, it obtains a close match between the percentage of the popular vote and the percentage of seats a party gets.
STV allows more voter choice and more MLAs to turn to for better representation.
STV creates more competition among candidates, even within a party, and reduces the number of 'safe seats’, thus providing more accountability.
STV allows fewer wasted votes. It therefore reduces the need for strategic voting and the problem of vote splitting.
STV allows more voter choice and more MLAs to turn to for better representation.
STV creates more competition among candidates, even within a party, and reduces the number of 'safe seats’, thus providing more accountability.
STV allows fewer wasted votes. It therefore reduces the need for strategic voting and the problem of vote splitting.
FAQ: How did it all begin?
The stimulus to initiate electoral reform was the skewed results of past elections.
In 1996, the NDP won a majority government despite having a lower percent of the popular vote than the Liberals.
In 2001, the Liberals won 97 percent of the seats with 57 percent of the popular vote.
The Liberals created the BC Citizens’ Assembly to look at electoral reform. The BCCA recommended BC-STV over the current system of First Past the Post (FPTP) based on 95 percent support of BCCA members.
In 1996, the NDP won a majority government despite having a lower percent of the popular vote than the Liberals.
In 2001, the Liberals won 97 percent of the seats with 57 percent of the popular vote.
The Liberals created the BC Citizens’ Assembly to look at electoral reform. The BCCA recommended BC-STV over the current system of First Past the Post (FPTP) based on 95 percent support of BCCA members.
FAQ: How does BC-STV work?
Rather than marking an X by a single candidate, one can rank more candidates in a multi-member district by marking 1, 2, 3, and so on.
Current ridings are combined to form larger districts with multiple MLAs.
The voter can rank as many or as few candidates as he/she wants, stay within party lines or go beyond. It’s the voter’s choice.
The total number of MLAs does not change. The number of MLAs per area and the number of MLAs per person remains unchanged.
If your first choice has more than he or she needs to be elected, the surplus portion of your vote is transferred to your second choice. If your first choice has been eliminated, because he or she has the fewest number of votes, then your vote is transferred at full value to your second choice.
Current ridings are combined to form larger districts with multiple MLAs.
The voter can rank as many or as few candidates as he/she wants, stay within party lines or go beyond. It’s the voter’s choice.
The total number of MLAs does not change. The number of MLAs per area and the number of MLAs per person remains unchanged.
If your first choice has more than he or she needs to be elected, the surplus portion of your vote is transferred to your second choice. If your first choice has been eliminated, because he or she has the fewest number of votes, then your vote is transferred at full value to your second choice.
FAQ: What is BC-STV?
STV stands for Single Transferable Vote, a proportional system of electoral reform which delivers near proportional results, local representation and more choice for voters.
The Referendum upcoming on May 12th is a return of the 2005 Referendum question.
It is back by popular demand, since last time British Columbians voted 58 percent in favour of BC-STV, two percentage points shy of the 60 percent required by the BC government.
The Referendum upcoming on May 12th is a return of the 2005 Referendum question.
It is back by popular demand, since last time British Columbians voted 58 percent in favour of BC-STV, two percentage points shy of the 60 percent required by the BC government.
Why "Mid-Island"?
The Yes for BC-STV campaign is organized around the 20 provincial ridings which will exist if British Columbians vote in favour of BC-STV.
Under the current Single Member Plurality system (commonly referred to as First-Past-the-Post), voters may choose only one candidate and only one candidate will ultimately be elected in each of the 85 ridings.
The total number of members elected to the legislature, 85, would not change under BC-STV. What would change is how we vote for candidates, the number of candidates we can vote for, and how many MLAs can be elected in each of the 20 ridings.
Under BC-STV, the Mid-Island riding would bring together the four current ridings of Cowichan Valley, Nanaimo-North Cowichan, Nanaimo and Parksville-Qualicum. Since four of the old ridings would be collected into one, voters would elect four MLAs. These MLAs would represent Mid-Island constituents in the legislature. Thus in the move to BC-STV, we lose nothing in representation and we gain proportionality in the legislature in accordance with the way we voted.
Under the current Single Member Plurality system (commonly referred to as First-Past-the-Post), voters may choose only one candidate and only one candidate will ultimately be elected in each of the 85 ridings.
The total number of members elected to the legislature, 85, would not change under BC-STV. What would change is how we vote for candidates, the number of candidates we can vote for, and how many MLAs can be elected in each of the 20 ridings.
Under BC-STV, the Mid-Island riding would bring together the four current ridings of Cowichan Valley, Nanaimo-North Cowichan, Nanaimo and Parksville-Qualicum. Since four of the old ridings would be collected into one, voters would elect four MLAs. These MLAs would represent Mid-Island constituents in the legislature. Thus in the move to BC-STV, we lose nothing in representation and we gain proportionality in the legislature in accordance with the way we voted.
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