BC Liberal leader Andrew Wilkinson was in Creston Thursday afternoon as part of his tour of southeast British Columbia.
The Creston Valley Chamber of Commerce hosted a luncheon for Wilkinson where he expressed his concerns regarding the lack of awareness on the upcoming referendum and the possible outcome if people do not vote against Proportional Representation.
“I have spoken to people who are very engaged, but overall the level of awareness regarding the Proportional Representation is low. It is important that the people of Creston and the Kootenays as a whole to decide if they want to elect their MLA directly or have their party bosses choose their MLA’s for them.
“It’s important for people to view this referendum through the eyes of the community they live in, and in Creston and the South Kootenay voters think who can represent us here? In a fairly small population in a big province, Creston voters know the name of the person who is going to be representing them, and that’s what the current situation provides. Every election people get to decide if they are going to keep them or replace them.”
Voters will receive a ballot for the Proportional Representation referendum in the mail a week after the municipal election.
“It should arrive at your house on October 24; please keep that ballot, please look it over carefully, please take it to work and your family events, have discussions about it and make an informed decision. I suggest you fill out the first entry to keep the current voting system. You may disagree but its important for voters to learn about this and come to their own conclusion.”
“Let’s remember too, that we have had a long tradition of pretty effective government and the only reason that this has come up is so that the NDP can pay off the Green Party for their support. Remember the NDP did not get the most votes or the most seats, and now they’re trying to rig the election system, and this is a very stacked deck in a rigged game.”