Here we go again… is it time for PR in B.C.?

Published 12:30 pm Thursday, August 21, 2025

Last week, the all-party BC Democratic and Electoral Reform Committee released its findings from a province-wide tour, hearing presentations from individuals and groups.

Of the 161 presentations that included an opinion on the voting system, 94 per cent advocated for proportional representation.

Proportional representation was supported by 29 of 31 organizations and 122 of 130 individuals who spoke to the committee.

I'm not entirely sure proportional representation would work any better than the first-past-the-post system we currently have. What I do know is that many people are very disillusioned about the present state of our democracy.

In 2015, former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau famously promised the 2015 federal election would be the last to use first-past-the-post. It was a popular promise and the Liberals were elected. A parliamentary committee later recommended taking it to a referendum.

Then they just dropped it. It was not the first, nor will it be the last time a political party didn't have the political will to follow through on a promise.

Now it's back on the table, but what we don't need is another referendum in B.C. The last one, in 2018, failed. They have also failed in P.E.I and Ontario. 

People want change, but they, like me, don't really know what the change is they want, so when the question is crafted and put to a vote, it's hard not to vote no. And referendums are costly.

If we are going to get change, we need political will. It seems like there is overwhelming support for change. The multiple parties need to negotiate a system that is acceptable to all of them, and the government needs to legislate it.

We tend to like the idea of "the people" having their say, but that's not always for the best. Sometimes we need strong leadership.

We also tend toward thinking democracy is sacrosanct. It's not. It's what we make it. In B.C., we've changed the way we elect our government 15 times (not including redistricting). 

Most people don't even realize that before 1991, we had block voting and members at large in the B.C. legislature.

My point is, what is the harm in trying it? We don't like how things work now. Can it really be any worse?

And, if we don't like it, we can change it again. We've done it before and we will likely do it again. 

Democracy is an evolving proposition.