UBC Professor Maxwell Cameron, Director of the Centre for the Study of Democratic Institutions is going through all three choices for proportional representation on the ballot this week, starting with MMP.
He says Mixed Member Proportional, is one of the simplest options and does not take away local representation if implemented.
“If you’re from an area like the Kootenays or the north or the Okanagan, you’ll actually be very well represented. You’ll have both your district MLA and you’ll have also your group of regional MLAs.”
Cameron explains MMPÂ gives voters the task of entering two votes, one for the local district riding candidate and one for party candidates at the regional level.
“You will also have groupings of regional MLAs, sometimes referred to as ‘pop-up’ MLAs. The reason we give it that name is because we would use that pool of MLAs to ensure that any lack of proportionality of the vote at the district level is compensated by representatives at the regional level.”
For a district like Nelson-Creston, an NDP MLA might still win with 45 per cent of the vote with the current first past the post system in that riding alone.
But if the popular vote of the entire Kootenay region had stronger Liberal support, the Kootenays would elect a proportionate number of Liberal Kootenay MLAs so the legislature has a better representation of what each district and region voted for.
In other words, if your district representative loses, your party vote still counts for the region.
If your party succeeds in getting a large enough percentage of the popular vote, a regional MLA representing that party gets a voice in legislature.
Borders for these districts and regions will be drawn after the referendum if it passes.
For more information on MMP, watch the video below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D6hkjZH9Jqc#action=share