STV offers hope of better B.C. politics, Paul Willcocks, Vancouver Times Colonist

STV offers hope of better B.C. politics

Paul Willcocks
Times Colonist

Thursday, May 07, 2009

I spent almost 10 years in the press gallery, watching B.C. politics from a front-row seat.

That's largely why I'm so convinced that you should vote yes in the STV referendum on Tuesday.

The current system doesn't work. Results are routinely unfair. In 1996, the Liberals got more votes than the NDP, but the New Democrats formed a majority government. In 2001, the Liberals got 58 per cent of the vote and 98 per cent of the seats. In 2005, 162,000 British Columbians -- nine per cent of voters -- backed the Greens, but were not represented in the legislature.

And that's not the only issue.

The current system encourages MLAs to keep their faces fixed on the leader and, as a result, to turn their backsides to their communities. Bad behaviour is the norm.

The challenge in most ridings is to get the nomination, not to win people over in the election campaign.

Voters are considering the party they want in power -- or want to block. That drives their decisions on election day.

Candidates and MLAs need to keep in the party leaders' good books, to get a cabinet job or gain influence or even to keep the nomination. That effort is rewarded more than paying attention to constituents.

That leads to one of the most common complaints about politicians -- that instead of representing the riding in Victoria, they soon start representing the party in the riding.

STV won't fix all the system's ills. But it will be a significant step forward.

Here's how the system works. There would be fewer, larger ridings, with two to seven MLAs each, depending on population. The total number of MLAs wouldn't change.

On election day, you would no longer mark an "X" beside one candidate, rejecting the rest. You would rank as many candidates as you liked, in order of preference.

When the votes are counted, the election results would reflect the overall rankings.

The method is explained well at www.gov.bc.ca/referendum_info. It's used around the world -- Australia has used STV in national elections for the senate for 60 years -- and considered fair and representative.

So the capital region, for example, would be a seven-MLA riding. They would come from more than one party -- perhaps three New Democrats, three Liberals and a Green, based on the 2005 results.

Liberal supporters would not just mark an "X" beside the party's candidate, but rank them against the others -- including their fellow Liberals. The ranking would help determine who is elected. It would no longer be enough to carry the banner of a party. Voters would be judging how well each candidate would represent their interests.

So an incumbent who had been willing to stand up for a community -- even if it made the party uncomfortable -- would be rewarded with votes.

A Liberal who New Democrat or Green supporters considered effective would also be rewarded with a higher ranking. That is a considerable incentive for working with all members of the community and the legislature, rather than throwing up partisan walls. (Not all voters will go to that trouble, of course. Some will still back a party.)

While ridings would be larger, there would also be an incentive for parties to ensure that all constituents were well-served. If the NDP decided to run six candidates from Fairfield, while the Liberals nominated candidates from a variety of municipalities, the New Democrats would pay a price. Similarly, parties would be wise to have candidates with varied backgrounds and positions to appeal to diverse voters.

Minority governments are more likely, though far from certain. But that would mean parties must learn to work together -- a process that would be aided by the increased focus on constituents.

It would also mean more centrist government, rather than the peculiar right-left lurches that have been the hallmark of B.C. politics.

This is a chance to take a leap forward and shed a system that simply doesn't deliver representative, effective government for one that offers the promise of at least some positive change. We shouldn't let it slip away.

Footnote: The measure will require 60 per cent approval and majority support in 60 per cent of the ridings. In 2005, 58 per cent of British Columbians voted yes, with majority support in 77 of 79 ridings. The STV system was chosen by a citizens' assembly of British Columbians.

pwillcocks@tc.canwest.com
© Times Colonist (Victoria) 2009