BC-STV Workshop and Debate, 2005

Background

During the 2005 Provincial Election, a referendum was held for the voters to decide whether they wanted BC to use a new electoral system called BC-STV (Single Transferable Vote). CES organized a workshop and a debate to introduce BC-STV to the public. Thanks to the support from the media and other community partners, our effort generated much interest in the Chinese community and helped the Chinese voters understand the issue before they cast their ballots.

(Learn more about the referendum and BC-STV in our Resources section.)

Workshop (February 25, 2005)

This was the first workshop held in the Chinese community to introduce BC-STV to the public. Fred Shum, a former member of the BC Citiziens’ Assembly (a non-partisan body composed of randomly selected BC voters which recommended BC-STV), was invited as guest speaker. The workshop was well attended and some reputable community leaders and political commentators were also present.

Debate (April 16, 2005)

This was an open debate between the 2 camps: STV for BC (supporting STV) and Know STV (opposing STV). We were pleased to have Nick Loenen and Bill Tieleman with us. Both were experts in electoral systems and outspoken representatives from their own camps. The general public and members of the 2 camps were present. Several media were there to report on the event.