A handful of Burnaby residents and one person from New Westminster presented a petition to MP Kennedy Stewart on Sunday, calling for electoral reform.
The Burnaby/New Westminster Citizens for Voting Equality, which is comprised of four Burnaby members and one New Westminster resident, collected signatures on a petition calling for public consultation and proportional representation, a system in which the House of Commons seats are distributed in accordance with the popular vote.
"The general idea is people get what they vote for," said group spokesperson and Burnaby resident David Huntley.
Proponents of proportional representation argue the system is more democratic than the first-past-the-post model currently in use.
"The government has 39 per cent of the vote, but they have 100 per cent of the power. This is typical of the first-past-the-post system," Huntley added.
In all, the group collected approximately 120 signatures. Huntley presented the petition to Stewart on Saturday, June 15.
The petition is part of a larger campaign, spearheaded by Fair Vote Canada. According to Wayne Smith, executive director of Fair Vote Canada, volunteers across the country have gathered enough signatures to present the petition to MPs in 30 ridings. Fair Vote Canada has support from all the major parties, except the Conservatives, although Smith said prime minister Stephen Harper has expressed support for proportional representation in the past.
"Being in power, they're not interested in changing the system," he said. "That's typical."
For more information, go to www.fair vote.ca. [email protected]
