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“I am a Canadian, free to speak without fear, free to worship in my own way, free to stand for what I think right, free to oppose what I believe wrong, or free to choose those who shall govern my country. This heritage of freedom I pledge to uphold for myself and all mankind.” ~~ John G. Diefenbaker

FAIR VOTE CANADA - BC NDP and BC Green Party Accord includes a committee that will look at proportional representation!


The new "Cooperation and Responsible Government Accord" between the BC NDP and the BC Greens includes a special all-party committee that will look at proportional representation!

The committee will hear from experts and the public and produce a report on preferred methods of proportional representation for BC in the summer of 2025.

But that might not be the end of the story...

The Accord between the BC NDP and the BC Greens will be up for renewal annually. Every year, the parties will negotiate "renewed and new policy initiatives". 

The special committee could be a first step to kick-start a conversation that leads to a real agreement for proportional representation in British Columbia. 

As we look at democracies that use proportional representation in the OECD, in almost every case, proportional representation came from a multi-party agreement.

Parties who were serious about building a fair, inclusive and cooperative democracy became willing to negotiate and compromise to make it happen. 

Real action on proportional representation can't come soon enough. The last first-past-the-post election in BC left the province more polarized than ever.

Voters were robbed of choice when BC United (formerly the BC Liberals) folded overnight in order to back the BC Conservatives. 

This drastic decision, with far-reaching consequences, only happened because of the cut-throat incentives of a winner-take-all system.

In the long run, moving closer to a two-party system could take politics down a dangerous path of division and alienation.

On the outcomes that matter most to our lives—health, the economy and the environment—countries with proportional representation have been proven to outperform countries with winner-take-all systems.

The cooperation deal between the BC NDP and BC Greens has opened up a new opportunity for a fairer voting system in BC.


Anita Nickerson
Executive Director, Fair Vote Canada

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