We make a choice. We mark a ballot. We know how to vote.

Once we cast that vote, we start thinking about what it might mean. Will the candidate we chose win? Which party will form government? What will the result mean for our community, province or country? What we might think about less is the system that turns those individual choices into political representation. 

With municipal and provincial elections coming up in B.C., it’s a timely opportunity to step back from the campaigns and consider how we elect the people who represent us. 

On this episode of Change My Mind, Lynda Steele speaks with political scientist, professor and author Dennis Pilon, one of Canada’s leading experts on democratic reform and voting systems. Together, they explore electoral reform issues, with a deep dive into proportional representation. 

Canada uses the First-Past-the-Post (FPTP) system, but it is not the only way to elect representatives. Different electoral systems have different implications for voters, political parties and governments. 

What do we want an electoral system to do? Should it prioritize local representation, proportionality, stable governments or more choice for voters? This conversation looks beyond the familiar mechanics of casting a ballot to consider what we expect from the system itself, and what changing it could mean.

Lynda came into this conversation with her own view of Canada's electoral system. By the end, she was looking at some of those assumptions a little differently. What changed? We invite you to listen and find out.

No debate. No winning. Just talking it through.

If this conversation made you think, take a moment to rate or review Change My Mind. And if you know someone who would enjoy talking it through, share the episode with them.