The leader of the official opposition is in Williams Lake today.
Andrew Wilkinson says he wants to talk to people this afternoon about proportional representation.
He says the NDP wants to change the voting system to keep the Greens happy.
“Under the current system which we’ve had 150 years if you like your MLA you reelect if you don’t like them you kick them out, and you’re totally understanding who your MLA is and they’re totally accountable to you,” he explained.
“Under this newfangled system, there will be one huge riding for North Central British Columbia. It would include at least probably Kamloops, possibly Prince George so Williams Lake would lose any sense of representation at all. You would not have a local MLA here and beyond that, the MLAs are chosen by the party bosses because you vote for parties, not for people, and so the party would choose who your MLA is and they might be from here, they might not be from here.”
The BC Liberals according to Wilkinson believe that is wrong, and we should stick with the current system called ‘first past the post’.
Wilkinson and Cariboo-Chilcotin MLA Donna Barnett invite people to further discuss the topic with them and more this afternoon at a barbecue taking place in downtown Williams Lake from 4 p.m until 6 p.m. at Spirit Square.
An upcoming referendum on proportional representation by a mail-in ballot will take place following general local elections on October 20th.
“We ask people not to throw it out-keep it and to pay attention to the news and get some information before they make their decision,” said Wilkinson.
Following his visit to Williams Lake, Wilkinson will be in Surrey and other Vancouver surrounding communities on Friday. He says he’ll be in the Peace River and Kootenays region next week.