Religious groups should pay taxes

Dear editor: After receiving my mailer on the proportional representation referendum, I went to the Elections BC website as requested to make sure that my voter registration was up to date.

Unfortunately, I was not given an opportunity to review the information, rather I was asked to fill in all the information. While I was able to complete the task, I am not sure that a great many of our citizens will be able to also do so.

After completing the exercise on the website, I had no assurance that Elections BC had indeed received the information, as I was unable to review my information on their site.

While I might trust that this information is now accurately recorded, I am left to wonder why a review of existing information was not available as is indicated on the mailer. I guess that I will know if and when I do receive a referendum voting package next month.

Unfortunately I do not trust that the initiative to change our existing first-past-thepost system to a proportional representation system is other than a continued push by the current coalition government to grasp more power.

I do not believe that this experiment at the provincial level of government is appropriate. Based on initial indications of the “questions” to be asked, I do not believe that a clear choice will be offered to the citizens of British Columbia.

I would suggest that as the proponents have indicated that this system is currently in place in numbers of other countries, that this system be initiated at the federal level rather than at the provincial level. I do not see anything other than confusion for the voters of B.C. with potentially two systems in play during the voting season.

Certainly the constant groping for power by minority parties in countries such as Germany should be a concern to all British Columbians as well as all Canadians.

Absent a clear question or choice, I believe that I will be unable to determine a likely result from this initiative should it succeed.

As a result, I will be voting against this initiative, and I will be encouraging others to do the same.

If my experience on the Elections BC website is indicative of this governments approach, I am disappointed and troubled.

Gerry Clark Kelowna