VICTORIA, B.C- The provincial government is done collecting feedback, when it comes to electoral reform.
A news release issued on Thursday morning has stated that input to help shape a referendum on electoral saw the largest amount of collection in the history of British Columbia.
The collection period ran over the last three months, with more than 180,000 website visits and the completion of 88,000 questionnaires focused on the topic.
“How we choose our legislative representatives is a fundamental part of our democracy and the strong response to this public engagement underlines the importance of this process to British Columbians,” said Attorney General David Eby, in the news release.
“This input will help shape the referendum process and, ultimately, the decision about the future of our democracy will be made by the people of B.C. in a province wide referendum.”
The online questionnaire had been asking for input on the 2018 referendum ballot, what questions it should contain, and whether or not organizations should get public funds to campaign for their preferred system. Written submissions were also sent in, along with submissions from more than 30 organizations.
“Input gathered will inform a report by the Attorney General, with recommendations for the referendum,” the news release states.
“The final piece of the engagement process includes work being done by an Indigenous liaison, which should be completed in the coming weeks. The report will be posted on the public engagement website later this spring and presented to cabinet for decision.”
Details on the referendum will be announced after the provincial cabinet makes a decision on the matter.
The referendum can be held no later than Nov. 30, 2018. If a new system is approved, it would be in place before the next provincial election.
