As we head into the final campaign push for electoral reform in B.C., many of us are reaching out to friends, family and acquaintances to encourage them to vote yes to Pro Rep. But some of us are wondering how to engage folks who aren’t likely to vote or dragging their feet to get their […]
British Columbia’s political elites line up behind the status quo In November 2017, British Columbia finally banned corporate and union donations in politics. This was not an easy feat. Many politicians, donors and lobbyists worked very hard to make sure that ride did not come to an end. But everyday British Columbians won that battle […]
In this Pro Rep deep dive, Seth Klein, the director of the B.C. chapter of the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, dispels the myths of the No side, explains what proportional representation really is and how it will fix our democracy, and describes what your three Pro Rep options on the ballot are. This episode […]
Big business, political elites used the same playbook against Pro Rep in 1992 By Kate Williamson, guest writer I’m a New Zealander living in Vancouver, and I’ve been watching the anti-Pro Rep campaign in B.C. with intense and unenjoyable deja vu. Before I explain that, some history: New Zealand, like B.C., used to vote […]
And what exactly are they so worried about? “A proportional representation system will elect neo-nazis and right-wing extremists.” “This system is too confusing for regular people to understand.” “Under Pro Rep, rural communities will have no representation.” There is a lot of misinformation about Pro Rep flying around right now. (We’ve debunked these myths […]
Radical right-wing extremists are elected under first-past-the-post. Huh. You’ve probably heard this: proportional representation will elect more far-right extremists, white supremacists, sexists and general bad guys. It’s the No-to-pro-rep side’s favourite (only?) argument. They cite recent examples of Poland, Hungary and Austria to prove their claims. Part of this is true. Poland, Hungary and Austria […]
On August 30 2018, the Federal Court of Appeal ruled on fourteen different court cases brought forward against the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion’s NEB review process. And they all won. The court invalidated the permit approval on the basis of two claims: 1. The NEB under Trudeau’s government did not adequately consult First Nations and […]
There is one simple way to make politics better: elect more women. Look at these people: To me, with the exception of Christy Clark, B.C.’s former premiers all look the same. None of them look like me — they don’t reflect more than half of B.C.’s population. Not enough has changed since the “founding fathers.” […]
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