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LETTER: Retain First Past The Post; the proven system

For 150 years B.C. has followed First Past the Post (FPTP) to choose its governments. The result has been the most successful province in Canada.
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For 150 years B.C. has followed First Past the Post (FPTP) to choose its governments. The result has been the most successful province in Canada.

During that time, very many political parties have contested elections (There are twenty six currently – registered parties in B.C.; a very wide choice for the voters). But they have always chosen centrist parties to form their governments. Sometimes a little bit right sometimes a little bit left.

Since Social Credit’s long run in the last century, and over the last thirty-odd years, there have been seven general elections here. Three times the NDP has formed the government, four times it has been the Liberals.

And the winners’ share of the vote has averaged about 46 per cent. Hardly an unbalanced result and hardly an insignificant winning percentage.

Since these elections were held under FPTP those winning parties usually obtained sound majorities in the legislature and were therefore well able to implement their policies. The result was good government under either party. And the voters were well able to switch direction when one party outstayed its welcome.

The result was predictable government and predictable policies with clear and unequivocal accountability.

Proportional Representation (PR), by design, results in minor parties being elected and their policies being adopted. Obviously, the policies of the non-mainstream parties will be extreme in some measure. Some will be left, some will be right.

The current push for PR comes from the left – they see themselves as the beneficiaries and their policies becoming law. In fact, it is just as likely that extreme right-wing parties will become part of future B.C. governments which will then enact policies that are quite antithetical to the left.

Why should we deliberately introduce such uncertainty into a very successful government system?

We should vote to retain the FPTP system.

A G Beck

Sidney