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KAMLOOPS - Is our current electoral system serving well? Does First Past the Post truly make every vote count? According to Fair Vote Canada, the answers are “no” and “no.” The local chapter invites the public to an exploration of our electoral system and possible alternatives on Tuesday, July 28, at 7 p.m. at TRU’s Alumni (Clocktower) Theatre. 

The evening will begin with an examination of how our First Past the Post system works compared to proportional systems, followed by an opportunity for MP candidates to present their positions on the issue, and an audience Q&A. MP candidates Bill Sundhu (NDP), Steve Powrie (Liberal) and Matt Greenwood (Green) have confirmed their attendance; current MP Cathy McLeod is yet to confirm. 

“Canadians are becoming ever more cynical about politics and politicians,” Gisela Ruckert, a speaker at the event, says. “Fair Vote Canada’s position is that our outdated electoral system bears a large part of the blame. Canadians simply don’t get what they voted for, at least not most of them.” 

The timing of this event is propitious, following the recent upsurge in interest in electoral reform due to statements by all three major federal parties. “We hope that people will take advantage of this opportunity to inform themselves of options for reform, since it’s such a hot topic right now,” Kevin Tyler, one of the organizers of this event, says. “It might help them make their voting choices in this fall’s election.”

Fair Vote Canada (FVC) is a multi-partisan grassroots citizens' campaign for voting system reform that promotes the introduction of an element of proportional representation into elections for all levels of government and civil society. For more information on Fair Vote Canada, visit http://campaign2015.fairvote.ca/.

Sponsors for this event include Kamloops 350, Kamloops & District Labour Council, Thompson Rivers University Faculty Association, and the Council of Canadians. Admission is by donation; doors open at 6:30 p.m.

News from © iNFOnews, 2015