BRITISH COLUMBIA’S May referendum brought a definitive end, at least for the near future, to the hopes of electoral reformers in that province. Despite the 'close but no cigar' outcome in 2005, only 39 per cent supported the change in 2009. Four years ago, a majority of citizens (58 per cent) supported changing from a first-past-the post to a single-transferable-vote electoral system, but the total was just shy of the 60 per cent required.
The 2009 results mark the end of a string of attempts over the last decade across the country (including Prince Edward Island and Ontario) to switch to a more proportional form of elections. Given this outcome, and considering the events of last December, there is a lesson to be learned for the larger project of national electoral reform. No reform proposal can succeed unless Canadians are willing to embrace uncertainty.
Not surprisingly, the uncertain ramifications of electoral change make it a particularly difficult sell.
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