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BC Citizens' Assembly Backgrounder
Non-elected
citizens are deciding the future of British Columbia's electoral
system
What is the BC Citizens' Assembly?
During the 2001 BC election, the provincial Liberal Party's campaign
platform included a pledge to reform BC's electoral system. In “A
New Era for British Columbia,” the Liberals promised to appoint
an assembly of citizens to examine different electoral options “including
preferential ballots, proportional representation, and our current
electoral system.” If the Citizens' Assembly recommended changing
the current electoral system, voters would have a chance to vote
on the proposed changes in a province-wide referendum.
Following their election victory, the Liberals kept their campaign
promise. In April 2003, the BC legislature voted unanimously
in favour of creating a Citizens' Assembly. In January 2004,
the Citizens' Assembly held its first series of meetings.
What is the Mandate of the Citizens' Assembly?
The Citizens' Assembly has a narrow and specific mandate: to examine
how votes turn into seats in the British Columbia legislature.
To do so, members will look at other electoral models, such
as proportional representation. However, they will not be examining
other issues surrounding elections, such as campaign financing
and seat distribution.
Furthermore, if the Citizens' Assembly decides a new electoral model
is needed, their recommendation must meet specific guidelines:
- It must be limited to one specific electoral model, instead
of providing a range of options.
- The electoral model must be consistent “with both the Constitution
of Canada and the Westminster Parliamentary System.”
- The model must be described clearly and in detail
Who Participates in the Citizens' Assembly?
The Citizens' Assembly is composed of 160 non-elected citizens,
two from each of the seventy-nine constituencies and two aboriginal
members. Designed by Elections BC, the selection process attempted
to be as random and fair as possible, while ensuring that Assembly
members reflected BC's diversity:
- Two hundred names were selected from the BC Voter's List
in each of the province's 79 constituencies. There was
an even distribution between men and women, and the age
distribution reflected the make-up of the constituency.
- Each of the 15,800 individuals was mailed a letter inviting
them to participate in the Assembly.
- Individuals who mailed back a form stating they wanted to
participate had their name placed in a local constituency
pool. In each constituency, up to 20 names were drawn from
the pool.
- Selected individuals were invited to attend a public regional
selection meeting, where they were given a presentation
of what they could expect as Assembly members, including
workload and compensation. At that point, they were required
to declare publicly if they were still interested, and
if they met eligibility requirements.
- The names of individuals who responded yes to both questions
were placed in an envelope. In a public drawing, two representatives – one
man and one woman – were chosen from each constituency.
- In December 2003, two aboriginal representatives were chosen
from the original random pool of 15,800, to make a total
of 160 Assembly members.
What Makes the BC Citizens' Assembly Unique?
The BC Citizens' Assembly is the first time power to reform an electoral
system has been handed to randomly selected, non-elected citizens.
Not only are “average” British Columbians passing judgement on
a specific electoral system; they are deciding which electoral
system will be put to a referendum vote. Instead of politicians
and/or academics, the selection process ensured that the Citizens'
Assembly represents a cross-section of BC society. Members include
senior citizens and university students; a professional dog walker
in North Vancouver and a Prince George high school math teacher.
To keep the process free from political interference claims,
current and past politicians and political party officers were
excluded from the pool of eligible voters. Individuals who ran
unsuccessfully for office in the past two years were also excluded.
How Much Will it Cost?
Funded by the Attorney General's Office, the Citizen's Assembly
has a budget of $5.5 million. Assembly members are reimbursed
for their food, travel, and hotel expenses at the same rate given
to BC government employees. In addition, they receive a $150
honorarium on each day official meetings are held.
What is the Process?
In January 2004 , Assembly members attended a series of weekend
academic presentations on different electoral systems. In late
March, members prepared a preliminary statement, outlining which
systems they believe should be examined further. In May and June
of 2004, Citizens' Assembly members will attend a series of
province-wide hearings where the public can make presentations
and respond to the preliminary statement.
In the fall of 2004, Assembly members will prepare a final report
outlining their conclusions. The report must be submitted to
the Attorney General by December 15, 2004. If the Citizens' Assembly
recommends changing the current electoral system, the province
will hold a referendum on their recommendations on the date of
the next provincial election, May 17, 2005.
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