Horgan, Weaver tout pro-rep voting system at event in Victoria

VICTORIA About 1,000 people attended a campaign-style event Tuesday night that featured speeches in favour of electoral reform by Green Leader Andrew Weaver and New Democrat Premier John Horgan.

“I firmly believe people want cooperation, not conflict,” said Horgan. “We will not make progress as a society if we continue to battle ourselves over outdated ideas.”

The premier told the crowd he is a late convert to proportional representation, but having his ideas constantly dismissed because he was not part of government persuaded him to support electoral reform. He said he voted against electoral reform in B.C.’s first referendum in 2005, but voted in favour in 2009 and made the current referendum a campaign promise in 2017.

B.C.’s two previous electoral reform votes failed.

“Pro-rep means exactly what it says,” said Horgan. “If you get 40 per cent of the votes, you get 40 per cent of the seats.”

Opposition Liberal Leader Andrew Wilkinson and Horgan spent much of Tuesday in the legislature challenging each other on the issue.

Wilkinson said Horgan is afraid to debate the topic, but Horgan said he’s waiting for the event to be organized.

“This is what we get from a premier who hasn’t got the guts to face the cameras because he’s a coward about this manipulative referendum,” Wilkinson said.

Weaver, whose Green party also supports electoral reform, told the rally the referendum offers voters a unique opportunity to change the way they elect their governments.

The referendum asks B.C. residents if they want to change the electoral system to a form of proportional representation or keep the first-past-the-post method. A majority of 50 per cent plus one is needed to change the system.

Elections B.C. said it mailed 3.3 million referendum ballots to registered B.C. voters this week. The deadline to return ballots is Nov. 30.