Your E-mails

Tuition Freeze – April 20, 2005

As a university student, I can't believe the NDP is again dangling the carrot of a tuition freeze. Entering post-secondary, I saw firsthand the inaccessibility and lack of student spaces created by the NDP's poor funding and artificial tuition freezes. Carole James and the NDP are not impressing me with a promise of a one-year tuition freeze with no mention of sustainability or a long term plan.

I'm not fooled by the NDP's current platform. I was a teenager but I can remember exactly where the last NDP government left us and on May 17th, I won't forget.

Richard Ly
Surrey

I would like to see a story that examines the Liberal claim that they are responsible for the recent economic turnaround in the province. I can't help but think that it is the result of an increase in the international (i.e. China) demand for commodities, and has nothing to do with Liberal policies.

John Wilson
North Vancouver

Voting for instead of against – April 21, 2005

When do you think we are going to have an opportunity to vote FOR someone, and not AGAINST all the others? I'm rather tired of all the slagging that goes on between the candidates I imagine them to be school kids fighting..."you have a hidden agenda", "No! you have a hidden agenda", "No! you have a hidden agenda" and so on ad infinitum. Maybe the candidates could thumb wrestle. We would save money on the election procedure and we wouldn't have to listen to bickering candidates any longer.

Dirk Lewis
Langley

STV Questions - April 21, 2005

I've just viewed the flash animation that illustrates STV on http://www.citizensassembly.bc.ca/flash/bc-stv-count and have questions:

1. Does every vote really count? In the flash animation that describes STV, if someone marked Eric Elderberry first on the their ballot, then their 2nd and 3rd choice votes would never be counted would they? If that's the case, then the people who voted Amanda Apple as their number 1 choice are having a greater say in the outcome of the election than those that voted first for Eric, aren't they?

2. Is this really proportional representation? Now the election is over, and Amanda, Bill and Danielle are representing their riding in the house to vote on bills. In the animation, it looked like Amanda received about three times the number of first votes as Danielle, but Danielle's vote in the house counts for exactly the same as Amanda's doesn't it?

What if the most popular candidate received more #1 votes than the next two candidates? On a bill in the house, the second and third representatives could "defeat" the first candidate even though the first candidate better represents the riding. If this is really proportional representation? Shouldn't Amanda's vote in the house count for more than Danielle's?

William Schuurman
North Vancouver

Voting Green... – April 21, 2005

I would like to let British Columbians intending or leaning toward the Green Party to consider the following:

Under our current First Past the Post' system, voting Green serves only to assist in putting more B.C. [so-called] Liberals into the legislature. Is that really what you want?

The Gordon Campbell government's environmental record has been a poor one indeed and it will continue, assuming he gets re-elected. Green-leaning voters who vote Green will certainly be assisting Gordon Campbell and his anti-green agenda. The best course of action for Green-leaning voters is to do two things in this election:

1 - Vote NDP and
2 - Vote 'yes' in the STV referendum

By this course of action you will be choosing a party that has a chance to form a government and is very green indeed when compared to the Campbell Liberals. You will also be saying yes to a new voting system that will finally allow voters choosing third parties a real prospect of electing MLAs in the 2009 election.

Jim Thorne
Kitimat