The Independent Contractors and Businesses Association (ICBA) will be in B.C. Supreme Court in Vancouver today, making the case to Madam Justice Miriam Gropper for an injunction to force the provincial government to fix its flawed proportional representation referendum process.
ICBA believes the way the government has asked and structured the questions, and the restrictions it has placed on public participation, are unlawful and undermine the entire purpose of a binding referendum: to determine whether a fully informed electorate supports adopting a new electoral system.
ICBA legal counsel Peter Gall will argue that the referendum questions and process are illegal because they don’t present the public with a clear choice between the current electoral system and a defined system of proportional representation – as was the case in the two previous referenda held on this matter in 2005 and 2009.
“We are strongly supportive of holding a vote to decide whether B.C. should adopt a new electoral system,” said ICBA president Chris Gardner. “While the provincial government has been trying to rag the puck on our case – using delay tactics to keep their flawed process going, we believe it is in the public interest to ensure this referendum is conducted in a fair, transparent, and lawful manner, given that it involves such a fundamental change to our democratic system.”
WHO: ICBA, including its president, Chris Gardner, and legal counsel, Peter Gall
WHAT: Arguing for an injunction against the government’s prop rep process
WHEN: Today, Tuesday, August 7, 2018. The hearing starts at 9:45 AM and is scheduled to run all day.
WHERE: BC Supreme Court, 800 Smithe Street, Vancouver
For more on ICBA’s intended arguments today, click HERE. For our full, initial filing, click HERE.