Photo: Darren Handschuh

BC Liberal leader Andrew Wilkinson touched on his two favourite topics during a stop in Kelowna Friday, the Prop-Rep referendum and the speculation tax.

While the talking points against changing the current election system have not changed, Wilkinson says much of the concern is now around the number of ballots being returned.

Friday afternoon, Elections BC announced 18 per cent of the eligible voters across the province have now had their ballots accepted.

That's a huge jump from the 7.9 per cent processed as of Friday morning.

Even with the encouraging numbers, Wilkinson says citizens need to continue to send in their ballots and express their position.

"We're hoping for a maximum possible turnout so people's true opinions can be heard," he said.

"I said earlier a minimum 40 per cent to make sure we have representation from the entire province. Of course, the NDP decided they didn't need any regional threshold, so it's one big pot of votes for the whole."

Wilkinson is also accusing NDP leader John Horgan of trying to change the rules mid-stream.

On Thursday, Horgan qualified terms of one of the three options being made available as alternatives to the current first-past-the-post system.

"He was talking up under one of the three options, the party leaders wouldn't be able to keep a closed list of candidates.

"This is technical stuff but it was clearly designed to make it more acceptable to people to vote for one of his options."

Wilkinson says he is encouraged by the reaction of people he is speaking to around the province.

He says people are confused to start with, but once they have thought it through, "I'm hearing repeatedly they are voting to keep the current system."

Meantime, Wilkinson remains steadfastly opposed to the government's speculation tax which is expected to be implemented soon.

He said Green Party leader Andrew Weaver double-crossed both Kelowna and West Kelowna when he voted with the NDP after telling the mayors of both communities he had their backing.

Wilkinson says a Liberal government would repeal the tax, and replace it with a true speculation tax, applied to people flipping condo contracts before the buildings are even constructed.