Meeting with Susan Holt last Monday
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Hi everybody,
Last week, a couple of us had a meeting with our MLA, Susan Holt, to discuss electoral reform. That she also happens to be the Premier is just the icing on the cake. Here's what we learned: - She doesn't know if she'll be able to get it done this term. Right now, they're dealing with multiple crises, the upcoming budget, and so on.
- Elections NB has asked for a technical upgrade in time for the next municipal election. She hopes they can get that done, and thinks the new software will also help with implementing the new electoral system, when the time comes.
- She has asked around about the cost of a citizens' assembly, and has received wildly differing figures. She knows that public education would be an important part of that process, and the cost of that would have to be included in the overall cost.
- She hasn't yet discussed electoral reform with the new cauces, but she did discuss it with the previous one.?Some want to avoid a referendum, knowing that it tends to prevent reform. Others insist that citizens must get a vote on the issue. This means either a referendum, or campaigning on reform leading up to the next election, and getting a mandate for it that way. Susan Holt herself doesn't like referendums; she doesn't think they work well.
- Other priorities must be dealt with first. She doesn't want to start working on electoral reform too early and have people say, "Why are you doing that? I can't even afford groceries!" She doesn't know where the public at large is on electoral reform. A poll would help.
- Transparency is important to her. Some have suggested quietly implementing reform, but, she said, "I'm not into doing anything quietly."
- If electoral reform can't be done this term, another possibility is to get just the citizens' assembly done this term, then campaign on implementing its recommendations. Susan Holt does not want to give the citizens' assembly the option to recommend keeping the current system. She wants the citizens' assembly? to be about change.
- We left with the impression that Susan really cares about electoral reform and wants to make it happen.
-- Vivian Unger
Fredericton, NB, Canada On the unceded territory of the Wolastoqiyik and ²Ñ¾±¡¯°ì³¾²¹¡¯°ì¾±
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