VANCOUVER – Andrew Wilkinson’s B.C. Liberals and big business are trying every trick in the book to stop people from having their say in the referendum on how we vote.

“Andrew Wilkinson and the B.C. Liberals want the status quo, because under proportional representation, they know they won’t be able to win 100 per cent of the power with less than half of the votes,” said Rachna Singh, New Democrat MLA for Surrey-Green Timbers. “That’s exactly how the B.C. Liberal Party was able to hold onto power for 16 long years, making life less affordable for families, and neglecting important services like health and education. That’s unfair, and people paid the price.”

Singh’s comments follow a recent remark made by B.C. Liberal MLA Dan Davies. Davies said he is “glad” that big business is in the courts trying to stop the referendum that would allow people to have their say. The Independent Contractors and Businesses Association (ICBA) has requested an injunction to suspend the referendum on electoral reform – preventing British Columbians from having their voice heard.

“With proportional representation, people will get what they vote for, so it is obvious why the B.C. Liberals are trying to stop that from happening,” said Katrina Chen, New Democrat MLA for Burnaby-Lougheed. “People will have more of a say, and the ability of the people at the top to control elections will be reduced. One of the first things our new New Democrat government did was to work with others to ban big money from politics, and put people back at the centre of elections. The next step is to make every person’s vote count.”

“Regardless of what side you are on, everyone has the right to have their say this fall. Elections BC called the question ‘simple and clear.’ This is just a tactic to prevent people from having their voice heard,” said Chen