In my last column, I wrote about changing our electoral system in B.C. This was a commitment made by the NDP during the election last year, and is a strong requirement for the continued support from the Greens.
I mentioned that moving away from our current system would change how elections look in B.C., with many more fringe parties coming out of the woodwork. There are more than a few supporters of changing the system that say that’s fear-mongering. Well, I don’t think so.
If you make a significant change to something, people will look for ways to take advantage of that change to benefit themselves.
I took a flight recently on a discount airline. Not only do they charge for checking a bag, they are now charging for a carry-on as well. You are allowed a personal item, as long as it fits under the seat in front of you.
When airlines started charging for checked bags, it was nearly impossible to find space in the overhead bin. Not on this trip. They were half empty. I watched the checked bags go on as well, just a couple of luggage carts with suitcases and golf clubs. Change the system, people will work around it.
Another example is gas prices. Vancouver recorded the highest fuel prices in North America recently. With that increase, and the progressive taxes that go along with it, we should be awash in tax revenues for transportation, but we are still talking about a road tax. Why is that?
The answer is as simple as looking at the line-up at the Point Roberts crossing. They have a population of a large high school that live on the peninsula, yet they have five gas stations. Tsawwassen has three, with more than 10 times the population. Action causes a reaction.
That’s why we have to be very careful about changing our electoral system. That’s why I’m even more concerned after hearing news last week that the vote we are supposed to be taking in the fall about electoral reform won’t be an alternate system, but a referendum on desire to change with details to follow. The problem will be handed to “experts” of the government’s choosing to determine the system that gets adopted.
So, in other words, let us know you want it changed, but you can’t determine what is gets changed to. Ask anyone if they want something new, most will say yes. It’s only after they find out what “new” is can they properly decide if it’s good or not.
Having a vague referendum with a result of 50 per cent plus one handed to a government appointed panel to come up with a solution that will not be given back to the electorate is not how the people’s democracy should work.
It reminds me of another famous quote, this time from Ronald Reagan: “The most terrifying words in the English language are: I'm from the government and I'm here to help.”
For most policies, we elect a government and let them figure it out, good or bad. If we don’t like it, vote them out. But when it comes to how we elect our governments, I think an extra level of scrutiny is required.
Brad Sherwin, MBA is a long-time resident of South Delta, and has over 25 years’ experience in marketing, public relations and business strategy. He teaches marketing at Douglas College, coaches hockey goalies and is president of the board of directors at Deltassist.
