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Minority governments are in many ways the healthiest

Thank you for your editorial on voter turnout in the B.C. provincial election.
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Thank you for your editorial on voter turnout in the B.C. provincial election.

I applaud your reminder that the more people who vote, the better representation we will have in our government. However, your suggestion that voter turnout was dismal does not reflect the reality for the Cowichan Valley.

Compared to the rest of B.C., voter turnout in the Cowichan Valley was not dismal.

Indeed, we have much to celebrate.

Our region’s voter turnout was just under 70 per cent and saw close to a 10 per cent increase from 2013, with nearly 5,000 additional voters coming out to the polls.

Across the province, the Liberals saw their vote count decrease, while the NDP saw a slight increase.

The B.C. Greens, on the other hand, more than doubled their popular vote.

That’s an important story of the 2017 election: one small, grassroots party inspired over 332,387 voters to vote for a positive and hopeful vision for B.C.’s future.

It’s now up to the 87 elected MLAs to make the Legislature work.

Our goal is to continue to be positive and productive in our relationships with our MLA colleagues.

We have an extraordinary opportunity to see a Legislature in which all parties can see legislation passed, and all MLAs can have a strong voice.

Minority governments are in many ways the healthiest for democracy, as they create a more cooperative and collaborative relationship between parties, and across the Legislature floor.

Sonia Furstenau

Cowichan Valley MLA