Certainly strategic voting did not produce the desired result of a Conservative defeat in the North Okanagan-Shuswap. It did, however, reduce the Conservative majority to a plurality with a split vote.
In Kelowna Lake Country, a riding every bit as Conservative as ours, pre-electoral strategic co-operation between the Greens and the Liberals, as well as strategic voting, resulted in the stunning upset of a long-time Conservative incumbent. It also gives local Greens a voice in the Liberal caucus.
Nationally, strategic voting produced an unexpectedly strong Liberal majority.
Make no mistake. The success of strategic voting in this election is nothing to be celebrated.
All voters would prefer to vote for their first choice rather than against their last.
Strategic voting is a result of our antiquated first past the post voting that gave, for example, the Conservatives in 2011, and the Liberals in 2015, 100 per cent of the power to govern with just 39 per cent of the vote.
Justin Trudeau has promised to make 2015 the last unfair election.
It is time for some form of proportional representation (fairvote.ca).
Let the discussion begin.
Susan Young