To the editor,
Re: Bring on proportional representation in B.C., Letters, June 7.
We have watched the Ontario election with dismay for some, jubilation for others. The striking thing is how unfair the first-past-the-post voting method is. The Progressive Conservatives got more than 40 per cent of the vote, the NDP got 34 per cent, the Liberals 19 per cent, and the Greens five per cent. The seat count on Friday was PC 76, NDP 40, Liberals seven, and Greens one. If they had voted under proportional representation, applying those percentages to the 124 seats in the Ontario legislature, their numbers would have been PC 50, NDP 42, Liberals 23, and Greens six. With such numbers, the PC would have had a minority that would have fallen at the first vote, and the NDP with the Liberals and Greens would have formed a coalition and given the 59 per cent of Ontarians who voted for something other than the Conservatives, a government much closer to what they really wanted.
Now Ontario has a Doug Ford government that has a strong majority and can do pretty much just as it pleases. Does anyone still believe first past the post is preferable?
Arlene Feke, Nanaimo
To the editor,
Proportional representation can only mean one thing, that the urban centres of Victoria and greater Vancouver will have total control of the political agenda and votes on all issues. This of course is why the NDP and Greens are pushing so hard for this change in the voting system. If you live in central B.C. or elsewhere with less population you may as well have no vote at all.
John Fast, Nanaimo
The views and opinions expressed in this letter to the editor are those of the writer and do not reflect the views of Black Press or the Nanaimo News Bulletin. If you have a different view, we encourage you to write to us or contribute to the discussion below.