Parliament and democracy in the 21st century: the case against proportional representation.

• Author: Nielsen, Jim
• Position: Guest Editorial

Electing members of a Parliament is not an end in itself. These persons chosen in some manner may assemble and offer their opinions at chosen times but the purpose of choosing members is to permit the formation of a government from amongst those MLAs supported by the voters.

Debate in the legislative assembly may be entertaining, enlightening and important but unless someone is listening and in authority to act on the matters discussed and decided then there is little purpose of having members.

Therefore a government must be created from among the members chosen. The best manner for a government to be chosen is for a party to have a majority of seats in the house and be called upon to form a government and then provide the needed leadership required to conduct public business.

Proportional representation tends to foster minority government and history would suggest most citizens do not want minority government. British Columbia elections have been held along party lines since 1903 and there have been only three instances of a minority government resulting from a general election--in 1924, 1941 and 1952. If the voters of British Columbia believed minority government was the preferred option then the results of those elections would reflect that opinion. Of the 28 governments elected since 1903 twenty five have been majorities.

Coalition governments leave much to be desired. Too often a small faction can hold the balance of power and use that to secure objectives considered important or urgent by a small number of people but not always in the best interest of the general public.

Since 1903 about 800 British Columbians have been successful in their quest for a seat in the legislative assembly of our province. An examination of those chosen shows a record of community involvement, elected or otherwise, for the most part. Traditionally, among the more established political parties, successful candidates must submit to a rigorous process beginning with the recruitment of supporters within the constituency organization then to the nomination meeting and from there to the election itself. Often the process may require commitment for a couple of years before the election. During that time these hopeful residents of British Columbia will submit to close scrutiny by their peers the media and ultimately the voter. Only those with a desire to serve all of the people in the riding are most often successful. The process soon eliminates those that might be...