By Ian Holmes

Electoral reform talks hit mid-island

Sep 7, 2016 | 12:16 PM

NANAIMO — Electoral reform is sure to be a hot topic on mid-Vancouver Island over the next few days.

Courtenay-Alberni New Democrat MP Gord Johns is hosting a public electoral reform meeting at 7pm Wednesday at the Parksville Community and Conference Centre to hear opinions and share ideas about how our MP’s should be elected.

An all-party parliamentary committee is examining electoral reform, on the heels of a governing Liberals’ campaign promise that the the ‘first-past-the-post’ system will be replaced in time for the next scheduled federal vote in 2019.

Johns says proportional representation is used in more than 90 countries.

“It’s been proven to improve voter turnout and lead to a more diverse gender balance of government. We want to make sure that we get a system that reflects society,” says Johns.

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He says what’s working and what’s not with our current electoral system will be analyzed at the Wednesday night forum, adding that other systems from around the world will also be examined.

Johns says he heard while door-knocking during last year’s campaign that young people felt disenfranchised.

“They felt that their voice wasn’t being heard, that their vote didn’t count.”

Johns says it’s critical for the committee in charge of recommending a new federal electoral system to recommend a concept to Parliament that Canadians will easily understand.

Nanaimo-Ladysmith NDP MP Sheila Malcolmson is hosting an electoral reform meeting on Sunday at 11:30am at the Malaspina Theatre at the Vancouver Island University’s Nanaimo campus.