Political parties in Vancouver and Surrey are pushing to replace the current “at-large” municipal election system with a “ward” system, where smaller districts would elect their own councillor. The ward system is currently used in every other major city in Canada and parties argue it would improve local representation, accountability and voter engagement. Supporters of the proposal say voters would have fewer candidates to assess, and councillors would serve the specific needs of neighbourhoods. While recent polling shows growing public support for wards, experts caution the transition to a new system could be difficult.
Dennis Pilon, professor in the Department of Politics, is quoted in the article, stating that reform on this scale rarely happens on its own, and that it usually requires a crisis to galvanize changes. He points to Vancouver’s history, where the current at-large system was implemented to limit working-class and left-wing political influence.
Pilon holds a PhD in Political Science from 91ɫ. His research interests include politics and government, labour, elections, democratic reform, class analysis and Canadian/comparative politics.
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