Proportional ballot needed

Dear Editor: The lying has to stop. We are constantly being told we are a democracy, when in fact we are not.

We are still a colonial society, complete with a Queen as our Head of State.

We are constantly being told we have majority governments, when in fact we do not.

We are still using a colonial electoral system that produces fake majority governments with about one-third of the vote, and award them dictator-style control over the remaining two-thirds of the people.

To be a majority government the governing party or coalition must represent at least 50 per cent of the people.

James Miller’s concerns about proportional representation and democratic governance (Daily Courier, Dec. 6) are simply not justified, quite the contrary. He should be ecstatic about the prospect of finally having governments that represent the majority of the people, instead of another out-of-control, fake majority government, that represents one-third of the people, leaving the other two-thirds without any representation.

His two-part statement that British Columbians twice voted down proportional representation in referendums, most recently in 2009, is only partially true.

The STV for B.C. referendum ballots were not proportional ballots. They were typical ranked, run-off, preferential ballots where the voters had to choose between party or candidate.

Creating multi-member electoral districts does not make it proportional, as votes are transferred across party lines, every time a candidate is removed from the list, with the end result that most candidates are elected by votes from most, if not all parties.

In other words, candidates are elected by people who voted for somebody else. An incredible disaster if there ever was one.

Using a proportional ballot, voters have two choices. They mark the ballot once to vote for their party to make sure the party gets its proportional share of the seats in the Legislature, and they mark a second box on the same ballot, to vote for the candidate they want to represent them.

Justin Trudeau abandoned his promise to eliminate the first-past-the-post system because the federal Liberals, like the Conservatives, do not want democratic governments.

Miller’s contention that no matter how well it’s explained, the average Canadian doesn’t understand how a proportional system works. He does not give Canadians enough credit for their political savvy.

A federal, all-party committee conducted a very comprehensive national survey, asking Canadians how they felt about our electoral system. The committee produced a very detailed report confirming an overwhelming majority of the people want some form of proportional representation, suggesting Canadians in fact are quite astute.

Miller’s contention that first past the post has worked well for years, and that change is not necessary is denying the reality that it has paved the way for party leaders to manipulate the nomination process, to control how our elected members in our federal Parliament and members of our provincial Legislature vote.

It’s called party discipline, and it has transformed Canada into a virtual dictatorship. We need that proportional ballot, and we need it now. Andy Thomsen Peachland