Giving a voice to all is the fundamental tenet of democracy. Today, far too often, differences in principles and policy are treated with disdain rather than respectful discourse. Within the legislature, important voices emanate from both sides of the aisle. Bringing different ideas to the table is an essential component - the very soul - of a healthy democracy; it is the role of the opposition and leaders not in government to critically assess the work of the government, hold it accountable, and propose alternatives. The dynamic of a healthy exchange of ideas contributed to my decision to enter political life as a BC Green.

WEST VANCOUVER B.C. – Dr. Michael Markwick, B.C. Green Party candidate for West Vancouver-Capilano, has been appointed by leader Andrew Weaver as the party’s Spokesperson for Democratic Security and Human Rights.

Privacy matters to me and it probably matters to you. As my friends and family know, I don't answer my phone. It's not that I'm anti-social: I just prefer to let the calls go straight to voicemail, which lets me weed out the more obvious spam. 

It's a practice that has served me well, particularly around election time when my phone -- like those of many other Canadians -- rings steadily. 

In an earlier post I addressed the reason why I was opposing Bill 20: Election Amendment Act 2015. As mentioned earlier, Bill 20 implements a number of the recommendations made by the Chief Electoral Officer in his October 2014 report. However, only one of the Chief Electoral Officer’s three priority recommendations was implemented, and that concerned providing flexibility in opportunities for advance voting. One egregious addition to the bill not recommended by the Chief Electoral Officer and opposed by the Privacy Commissioner is new language that allowed political parties to obtain a list of voters that indicates which voters on the list voted in a previous general election. This list would be available between general elections.

aIn an earlier post I addressed the reason why I was opposing Bill 20: Election Amendment Act 2015. As mentioned earlier, Bill 20 implements a number of the recommendations made by the Chief Electoral Officer in his October 2014 report. However, only one of the Chief Electoral Officer’s three priority recommendations was implemented, and that concerned providing flexibility in opportunities for advance voting. One egregious addition to the bill not recommended by the Chief Electoral Officer and opposed by the Privacy Commissioner is new language that allowed political parties to obtain a list of voters that indicates which voters on the list voted in a previous general election. This list would be available between general elections.

Today in the legislature I spoke against Bill 20: Election Amendment Act at second reading. This Bill implements a number of the recommendations made by the Chief Electoral Officer in his October 2014 report. However, only one of the Chief Electoral Officer’s three priority recommendations was implemented, and that concerned providing flexibility in opportunities for advance voting.

Today in the Legislature we continued debate on the Speech from the Throne and voted on the amendment put forward by Selina Robinson, NDP MLA for Coquitlam-Maillardville, as well as the sub-amendment that I put forward.

In an earlier post I noted that the role of government is to offer British Columbians a vision. The role of opposition, if they do not like the vision government is offering, is to offer a counter-vision. I tried to offer such a counter-vision in my response to the Speech from the Throne.

The Legislature was put on notice that the B.C. NDP will introduce private member’s legislation on democratic reform to move our electoral system from its current first-past-the-post to a form of proportional representation. The B.C. Green Party welcomes this effort by our colleagues in the Opposition.