It’s not what Justin Trudeau would have done in this situation, but we’re pleased to see the NDP inching forward in their bid for electoral reform.
The Liberals, who seem to have rediscovered ethics at the bottom of last election’s ballot box, criticized the move as a gift to the Green Party, whose three seats resemble a toothpick gamely holding a massive government sandwich together.
First-past-the-post, the Liberals argue, gives us stable governments. We agree with the statement, but not its implications.
First-past-the-post is a winner-take-all system that makes losers of the electorate who watch politicians eschew compromise for perpetual electioneering.
As the last election showed us, British Columbians don’t agree. We’re left and right wing and environmentally/economically minded and sometimes disenchanted with every name on the ballot.
Our government should mirror that dissension rather than cleaving to a system that allows fewer than half the electorate to select a majority government.
Governments should be stable, but never stand still. In fact, we seem to see the greatest ethical lapses when the government enjoy an over-abundance of job security.
We would also remind the dissenting Liberals that in 2005, 57 per cent of voters supported a new electoral system.
As with all voting systems, there will be problems with proportional representation. British Columbians who don’t live in Metro Vancouver – whether by necessity or good sense – may feel dissatisfied with the tyranny of the majority. The only thing worse, of course, is the tyranny of the minority.
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