It wasn’t third time lucky for proportional representation.
Cowichan Valley Green Party MLA Sonia Furstenau is disappointed with the result of the referendum, as the first past the post system was the choice of 61.3Â per cent of participating British Columbians.
Furstenau said the opposition parties have turned the page and are focusing on other issues now that this decision has been made.
“I remain committed to ensuring that our democracy works as best as it possibly can,” said Furstenau. “I think that’s important work to carry on with and at this point, we will focus on all the other things that we are working on, as a party and a caucus.”
However, with just north of 42 per cent of eligible voters returning their ballots, Furstenau said the issue wasn’t top of mind for many British Columbians.
“Fewer than 50 per cent of British Columbians voted in the referendum and I know that for a lot of people, the issues that impact them on a day-to-day basis are the ones that they want to see acted on by the government.”
Furstenau said, “We’re committed as an opposition party and three-person caucus to keep working on issues that really impact people’s lives.”
This was the third electoral reform referendum in the last 15 years.
In the Cowichan Valley, 53 per cent of the more than 21,000 voters cast a ballot in favour of first past the post and in the Nanaimo-North Cowichan riding, the vote was split right down the middle.
In Nanaimo, first past the post took more than 54 per cent of the nearly 20,000 votes. On the Sunshine Coast, proportional representation won, taking 54 per cent of the vote.
