Why I'm voting No to PR

I am not a big fan of the current system, and I would like to see some changes, but the proportional representation system is anti-democratic. Here's why. 

Democracy is not just a system where the most votes wins, it’s a system that also is supposed to protect region’s interests where policy can have a profound and damaging effect on them. This is why we have MPs and MLAs coming from our regions, because they become our voice. The challenges in the Okanagan are different than those up north, in Vancouver or on the Island.

Government has become a business, and being a politician has become a career. If you look back in time, our system used to be made up of working-class people who were selected from their community to voice their collective concerns. As an example, the farmers from a region in Saskatchewan would select another farmer who best represented the interest of everyone, and send that person away to make legislation and law at the provincial and federal levels, then they would come back and continue to work their farm.

On the federal level, it’s called the House of Commons for a reason, because it’s supposed to be made up of common people. The Senate was to ensure populous regions don’t dominate the smaller ones. We put these protections in place for a reason, whether it be at the federal or provincial level.

Under a proportional representation system, we lose our regional voice. We no longer select who represents us, and there is no more individual accountability to any one MLA as they are handpicked by the party based on the percentage of vote. 

There are many flaws in our current system, but replacing it with a bad system is not the answer. 

We would end up with unworkable governments with fringe parties holding the balance of power. It would be rare for any party to win a majority. If you look back over time, there are few elections where a party winning 50 per cent of the vote has happened. 

We would see dozens of parties popping up, and each would gain some right to a seat if they get as low as five per cent of the provincewide vote, further diluting the power of any government.

I certainly have not always had my way in elections, but I also respect the system, and accept the results. I take peace in knowing the person in my riding has to work every day to keep the support of their constituents or they will lose their seat next election, or even lose their nomination to represent that party. 

They have to pass two sniff tests. One, their party has to nominate them to run and, two, the region has to select them to represent us. Under this new system, we would lose both.

What I would like to see is a system that requires a candidate to receive over 50 per cent in their riding. There are many ways to do this, and we should be working on changing that system. Under this new system, we will no longer be selecting a government of the people.

Sometimes the devil you know is better than the devil you don’t.

Kim Dobranski, Kelowna