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February 6, 2004
Electoral revolution in B.C.?
If group recommends change, there will be a May 2005 referendum.
PAT JOHNSON SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH BULLETIN
At the Morris J. Wosk Centre for Dialogue in downtown Vancouver,
a group of randomly selected British Columbians has begun meeting
as a step toward what could be the most revolutionary changes Canadian
democracy has seen in 150 years. The unassuming group of citizens,
meeting with academics and a small group of staff, is considering
whether to alter the way British Columbia elects its lawmakers.
What the Citizens' Assembly on Electoral Reform recommends when
its work is completed in December will be closely watched by other
Canadians and by international observers.
The process was initiated by the provincial government but acts
independently of any political masters. Though many British Columbians
may be only vaguely aware of the commission's existence, the potential
it has to alter the way we govern ourselves is monumental.
Several members of the Jewish community have front-row seats for
the unfolding process. Caroline Fader, a stalwart of community activism
and longtime editor of the Jewish community phone directory, was
selected from the riding of Richmond-East to participate in deliberations.
Nicholas Boudin, a student at Simon Fraser University (SFU) who
is Jewish, was chosen from Vancouver-Hastings. In addition, staff
member Susanna Haas, project co-ordinator and member liaison, is
also Jewish, and
Dr. Jack Blaney, the former president of SFU who has the responsibility
of chairing the commission, has deep professional ties to the Jewish
community.
Fader's enthusiasm for the task is palpable, as she reviews the
first two intense weekends of learning and imagines the road ahead.
"I don't think anything's been done like this anywhere in the
world," she said.
Originally from London, England, Fader shares her immigrant status
with a number of other members, who represent the geographic, demographic
and gender diversity of the province. Members were selected by constituency
merely to ensure geographic representation, Fader noted, not to
represent their areas. Members are asked to consider what is best
for the province as a whole, and Fader acknowledged that she is
learning about the challenges facing rural British Columbia.
"You're meeting people from all over the province," she
said. "Rural people feel badly neglected."
Fader's thrill at being involved is shared by her children and grandchildren,
who have been engaging her in discussions and readings on electoral
history, she said. Though she has been deeply committed to community
involvement, she has never taken an active part in elections, except
in voting, and came to the assembly with a very open mind. She hopes
this review of the electoral system will increase voters' understanding
and appreciation for our democratic responsibilities.
"I think people have been too complacent," she said.
Fader's learning curve is aided by the expertise of some of Canada's
top experts in electoral systems, including University of British
Columbia political scientists Ken Carty and Campbell Sharman.
"They are unbelievable," said Fader. "The knowledge,
the expertise, the way they present themselves. Ken Carty keeps
you absolutely riveted. He doesn't just stand behind the podium....
I really feel like I'm going back to university."
The Citizens' Assembly on Electoral Reform is empowered to review
the way votes in B.C. provincial elections translate into seats,
then determine if a change should be made. After six weekend learning
sessions, during which they will compare systems used around the
world, assembly members will spread out across the province in a
massive process of public consultation. Returning to the Wosk Centre
in the fall, the group will decide whether to recommend change to
the province's election rules or leave them the way they are. If
changes are recommended, in a report due in early December, voters
will have the final word, in a referendum that would coincide with
the next provincial election, in May 2005. If the commission opts
to leave the process as it is, no referendum will be held.
The gravity of the assembly's task is echoed by Marilyn Jacobson,
director of communications, who claims the process is unprecedented
in modern times.
"To our knowledge, it's never been done anywhere," Jacobson
said. The closest analogy, she suggested, may be ancient Greece,
where citizens came together in the public square to discuss how
they should organize their society.
There are five general "families" of electoral systems:
plurality (in which one vote more than the next candidate wins),
majority (in which 50 per cent plus one is required), proportional
representation (in which seats are allocated by popular vote), single-transferable
(in which voters note their choices in order of preference) and
mixed (a variation of these).
Before gauging the general public's satisfaction with the current
electoral process, members will be educated about the advantages
and disadvantages of various systems. Examples of the systems likely
to come under the inspection of the assembly are those of Japan,
Italy and Israel, where convoluted institutional and cultural structures
have resulted in varying degrees of stability for governments in
those countries. All the learning material provided to assembly
members, as well as other background information, is available online
at www.citizensassembly.bc.ca.
Members were selected late last year in a process similar to jury
duty, though everyone was free to decline the invitation. Two hundred
letters were sent out to people randomly chosen from the voters
list in each of the province's 79 constituencies. Those who attended
an information meeting – where the necessary commitment was
explained to them – had their names placed in a hat and one
man and one woman were selected to represent each riding. (Participants
are given honoraria of $150 per meeting day, as well as meals. Out-of-town
members are reimbursed accommodation and travel expenses.) In addition
to numerous students and teachers in the assembly, members include
military personnel, a househusband, a bartender, a letter-carrier,
a dog walker, a pet cemetery owner, an accountant, an acupuncturist
and several retirees.
Blaney, the chair, explained that after the 158 members were selected,
it was clear that one aspect of the province's diversity was not
represented. There were no aboriginal members. Blaney said there
was an acceptance that a major undertaking like the electoral assembly
could not proceed without representation from the First Nations.
Two more members were added; their names drawn from a hat containing
aboriginal candidates who had not been selected at earlier meetings.
As chair, Blaney himself is a member of the assembly, bringing the
total number to 161.
The commission held its first meeting on the weekend of Jan. 10
and 11, and will continue meeting until the end of the year. Blaney
contends that the process is historic and will represent a triumph
of public consultation, even if the assembly opts to leave the electoral
system exactly as it is.
If a change is recommended, it would require the approval in the
referendum of a 60 per cent majority, representing at least 50 per
cent approval in 60 per cent of the province's ridings. If changes
are recommended and approved, they would be in place for the 2009
election.
Blaney added that the Wosk Centre for Dialogue, a facility of Simon
Fraser University that was established while Blaney was the institution's
president, is ideal for this sort of conference.
"It is almost as if it was designed for it," said Blaney.
"It's become almost a symbol of the assembly."
The Centre for Dialogue is a state-of-the-art conference facility
made possible through the philanthropy of the late Morris J. Wosk,
who passed away in April of last year.
Pat Johnson is a native Vancouverite, a journalist and
commentator.
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