Either democracy is the most important, ethical, and sophisticated system of governance of all time or it is a wretched and ridiculous farce made pointless by the weight of its own stupidity. Personally, I believe it’s a bit of both.
The BC NDP has decided that the election scheduled for October 16, 2021 will instead be held on October 24, 2020. Their current minority government dictates that they need the approval of the Green party members to pass legislation; their hope is, of course, to win a majority government so that they may continue to govern without the Green thumbs up.
Many of the party’s detractors have called this a blatant power grab, but of them I ask: what else in the beard of Cleisthenes do you think it would be? Of course a political party wants power—that’s the entire point. The whole mandate of democratic politics is that the political parties try to gather support so that they can do what they think is best for their base.
For those Green and Liberal supporters out there complaining about this move, please know that if your party were in this position, they would do the exact same thing. I have problems with the NDP breaking their promise to the Greens to not call an election, among other things, but they are still playing well within the realm of legality.
The brilliance of this situation is that it is a self-solving. If the public believes that the NDP have made a faux pas then they will be obliterated on October 24; if the public believes that this move make sense then they will receive their majority.
Although I do firmly believe that a proportional representation voting system would give a more accurate representation of what the public wants, you cannot win an election without the support of the public.
Snap elections have not always gone well for those who called them. Rachel Notley’s Albertan NDP government majority was formed out of a snap election called by the Conservative party. Horgan is taking a political risk here, and it may be that they end up losing seats when all is said and done.
I certainly can respect fears that this is an unsafe time for an election. However, provincial health officer Bonnie Henry has stated that she’s been working with Elections Canada since March to ensure that the democratic process can continue unimpeded. Further to that, it is likely this crisis will continue for some time; the originally scheduled election date may very well have fallen during pandemic times of unknown seriousness. If we can get it out of the way while Henry thinks it’s safe, then I say go for it.
For those who are still worried, there will be seven days of advance voting, or you can vote by mail-in ballot. If you have been to a grocery store in the last four months, know that the polling facilities will likely be much cleaner and safer.
The public put their trust in the NDP on May 9, 2017 and it is with that authority that this election has been called. If you can think of a system you would prefer to democracy, then please suggest it and we can put it to a vote.