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Your B.C. Government

For Voters

Since 2001, Your B.C. Government has introduced numerous changes aimed at ensuring open, transparent and accountable government for British Columbians.

What your B.C. Government is doing for Voters:

  • Your B.C. Government was the first in Canada to legislate a fixed provincial election date – every four years on May 17 – and a set legislative calendar.
  • Question Period in the B.C. Legislature has been doubled from 15 to 30 minutes.
  • The groundbreaking Citizens’ Assembly was established to recommend a new Single Transferable Vote (STV) election system that was put to a referendum on May 17, 2005. A second STV referendum was held on May 12, 2009.
  • Your B.C. Government passed legislation in 2008 to preserve rural representation in the Legislature, while increasing B.C.’s electoral districts from 79 to 85 to recognize growing regions of the province.
  • Following on recommendations from B.C.’s Chief Electoral Officer, your B.C. Government brought in legislation to modernize the Election Act by clarifying the process for voter registration, establishing a more accurate voters’ list and setting reasonable expense limits for political parties and third parties.
  • Your B.C. Government will cease all non-essential government advertising four months prior to the provincial election.
  • Your B.C. Government introduced the Province’s first ever lobbyist registry – the second such registry in Canada.
  • Since 2001, the B.C. Government has added 65 public bodies to the Freedom of Information Act.  The act now covers over 2,000 bodies.
  • Your B.C. Government increased the budget for the Information and Privacy Commissioner by 56 per cent and doubled the net budget for the Auditor General to review government spending and programs.
  • Your B.C. Government was the first government in Canada to implement Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) in government reporting.
  • Response times for Freedom of Information requests have improved, with 56 per cent of FOI requests for personal information now being processed in less than 30 days compared to just 36 per cent in 2001.

For more information:
Elections BC – Find your electoral district
Elections BC
Citizens’ Assembly on Electoral Reform
B.C.’s lobbyist registry

Wosk Centre
[Above photo copyright The Vancouver Sun.]