Re: 鈥淗organ, Wilkinson clash on voting,鈥� column, Nov. 9.
There was no debate Thursday night; there was a political spin game.
When Premier John Horgan was asked if a proportional-representation voting system would cost more than the present voting system, the best answer has one word: Yes. At the very least, counting PR votes takes longer, and some of the counters are paid.
When Opposition Leader Andrew Wilkinson kept on asking how many votes each voter will be able to cast, he knew there cannot be an answer to that question until the type of PR system is finalized. He knows that his party will be part of the committee that will be established should PR be chosen over first-past-the-post. He knows that the committee鈥檚 composition will follow the principles that all legislative committees follow. Currently, if the committee is to be 10, five would be NDP, four would be Liberal, and one would be Green.
We have had a rigid party system in sa国际传媒 ever since I have been aware of politics. No candidate is endorsed by most parties just on the riding鈥檚 choice. The leadership of most parties must endorse each local candidate and some local candidates have been rejected by the provincial leadership. Candidates have been parachuted into ridings as recently as the last election. Both PR and FPTP allow for party control of MLAs.
Steve Cooley
Campbell River
