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VICTORIA – A motion introduced by government that ensures the protection of rural ridings while ensuring fair representation in growing regions of the province passed unanimously today in the B.C. Legislature.
“We took this step because preserving fair, reasonable and functional representation for all regions of the province is of fundamental importance to the people of British Columbia,” said Premier Gordon Campbell. “We heard clearly from British Columbians that any reduction to rural representation in the Legislature was unacceptable. This motion balances the need for reasonable and effective representation with the requirements for voter parity.”
The motion calls for establishment of an electoral map for the Province of British Columbia that increases the number of electoral districts to 85 from the current 79, with no reduction in the existing number of rural ridings.
The motion was based on the proposed electoral map contained in the February 14, 2008 final report of the Electoral Boundaries Commission, with the exception of the North and Cariboo-Thompson regions, which were based on the alternatives contained in appendix ‘P’ of the Commission’s report.
“This strikes the appropriate balance between the need to recognize the unique challenges of large, rural ridings, and the need to increase representation in growing parts of our province,” said Campbell. “I want to thank the members of the Electoral Boundaries Commission for their hard work on a challenging subject. They fulfilled their duties with the utmost diligence, professionalism and care.”
With the unanimous passage of the motion today in the Legislature, government plans to introduce legislation which will create the boundaries, the maps and the legal descriptions required to be in place in time for the May 2009 provincial election.
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Communications Director Office of the Premier 250 387-6605 |
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