1991 British Columbia recall and initiative referendum

none September 2023 The British Columbia Recall and Initiative Referendum was a referendum held in British Columbia on October 17, 1991. It was concurrent with that year's general election. The referendum posed two questions. They were on whether elected officials should be able to be recalled and whether voters should be given a citizen's initiative. Both questions were decisively approved with over 80% of the electorate voting yes to both questions. Lead up British Columbia has had several referendums in its history.http://www.elections.bc.ca/elections/electoral_history/part1-23.html Plebiscites and Referenda Elections BC 2008-01-25 Electoral History of British Columbia 1871-1986 https://web.archive.org/web/20070818083240/http://www.elections.bc.ca/elections/electoral_history/part1-23.html 2007-08-18 dead A previous bill, the Direct Legislation Act, was passed by the Oliver government in 1919. the Direct Democracy Act was given royal assent in March of that year, but was never proclaimed. A similar statute was struck down by the Manitoba Court of Appeals later that year. These combined to leave the BC law in legislative limbo until it was removed in a 1924 statute consolidation.http://www.parl.gc.ca/Infoparl/english/issue.htm?param=147&art=980 Canadian Parliamentary Review Norman Ruff Institutionalizing Populism in British Columbia 1993 2008-01-25 2004-11-24 https://web.archive.org/web/20041124224418/http://www.parl.gc.ca/infoparl/english/issue.htm?param=147&art=980 dead A promise to hold referendums was included in the British Columbia Social Credit Party (Socred) government's speech from the throne in April 1990.http://www.leg.bc.ca/hansard/34th4th/34p_04s_900405p.htm#08847 As spoken by The Honourable David Lam Speech from the Throne 1990-04-05 Legislative Assembly of British Columbia Hansard 2008-01-26 In preparation, the Socreds had invited two experts from California familiar with recall and initiative to their annual convention.B.C. voters to face two referendums; Government dragged feet, NDP claims 1991-09-06 Justine Hunter H9 Vancouver Sun Appropriate legislation was introduced on July 5, 1990.Plebiscite bill 'good democracy' Don Hauka 1990-07-06 Vancouver Province 4 The two questions were: A: Should the voters be given the right, by legislation, to vote between elections for the removal of their member of the Legislative Assembly?March 2002 Electoral History of British Columbia Supplement, 1987-2001 http://www.elections.bc.ca/elections/electoral_history/electhistvol2.pdf 60 Elections BC PDF dead https://web.archive.org/web/20071009023853/http://www.elections.bc.ca/elections/electoral_history/electhistvol2.pdf 2007-10-09 B: Should the voters be given the right, by legislation, to propose questions that the Government of British Columbia must submit to voters by referendum? Both of the questions were announced by Premier Rita Johnston during a news conference on September 5, 1991, although by then they were an open secret. NDP leader Mike Harcourt criticized the timing, saying that the Socreds had moved too slowly in launching the proposals. Liberal leader Gordon Wilson also criticized the referendum, saying that it was intended to divert attention away from the scandal-plagued Socreds.Ian Austin Questions unveiled; Opposition says exercise is a smokescreen to divert attention 1991-09-06 6 Vancouver Province In response, Johnston said she could not comment on either timing or structure for the proposals because they would be decided after the referendum. The referendum was run by Attorney-General Russ Fraser. The total cost was 1.7 million dollars. The cost includes information pamphlets, advertising, toll-free information telephone lines, and costs related to running the referendum. The referendum also got caught up in the campaign going on at the same time. Both Premier Johnston and British Columbia New Democratic Party (NDP) leader Harcourt announced that they would be voting yes in the referendum. Results There was overwhelming support for both questions. Support was over 80% of yes votes for both questions.http://www.elections.bc.ca/elections/electoral_history/electhistvol2.pdf Electoral History of British Columbia Supplement, 1987-2001 Elections BC 5 March 2002 PDF 2008-01-26 https://web.archive.org/web/20071009023853/http://www.elections.bc.ca/elections/electoral_history/electhistvol2.pdf 2007-10-09 dead However, more than nine percent of ballots for question A were rejected, and more than eleven percent were rejected for question B. Turnout was slightly less than that in the general election. Question A: Recall District Yes Percentage No Percentage Rejected Abbotsford 14214 82.46 3023 17.54 1571 Alberni 10092 83.81 1949 16.19 1716 Bulkley Valley-Stikine 8077 80.18 1996 19.82 1220 Burnaby-Edmonds 16003 82.57 3378 17.43 2247 Burnaby North 15374 83.22 3099 16.78 2173 Burnaby-Willingdon 18091 81.9 3999 18.1 2215 Cariboo North 9899 85.65 1658 14.35 1294 Cariboo South 10606 82.5 2249 17.5 1439 Chilliwack 16527 82.48 3510 17.52 2372 Columbia River-Revelstoke 10237 81.78 2281 18.22 1531 Comox Valley 18435 75.7 5918 24.3 2424 Coquitlam-Maillardville 18311 82.86 3788 17.14 2026 Cowichan-Ladysmith 16652 80.54 4024 19.46 2319 Delta North 16784 84.74 3022 15.26 1517 Delta South 17299 82.11 3770 17.89 1226 Esquimalt-Metchosin 17539 82.68 3674 17.32 1915 Fort Langley-Aldergrove 15998 84.32 2975 15.68 1253 Kamloops 14595 76.55 4471 23.45 1587 Kamloops-North Thompson 10876 77.86 3093 22.14 1135 Kootenay 11770 81.9 2602 18.1 1651 Langley 14301 83.97 2731 16.03 1628 Malahat-Juan de Fuca 14933 83.67 2911 16.31 2046 Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows 19897 83.01 4073 16.99 1977 Matsqui 13838 81.91 3056 18.09 2046 Mission-Kent 12657 80.24 3117 19.76 1680 Nanaimo 15919 79.64 4069 20.36 2189 Nelson-Creston 13131 78.50 3597 21.50 1869 New Westminster 15568 81.39 3560 18.61 2019 North Coast 7631 80.83 1810 19.17 1288 North Island 12185 78.53 3332 21.47 1385 North Vancouver-Lonsdale 15214 83.53 3000 16.47 1749 North Vancouver-Seymour 18469 80.68 4423 19.32 1224 Oak Bay-Gordon Head 17982 73.08 6624 26.92 2299 Okanagan-Boundary 10627 77.94 3008 22.06 2013 Okanagan East 16477 81.05 3852 18.95 2324 Okanagan-Penticton 15529 78.04 4369 21.96 2299 Okanagan-Vernon 16602 79.65 4242 20.35 2206 Okanagan West 20447 80.58 4929 19.42 2480 Parksville-Qualicum 18866 79.54 4852 20.46 2499 Peace River North 7897 82.66 1657 17.34 1275 Peace River South 9706 86.15 1561 13.85 1436 Port Coquitlam 19931 84.68 3606 15.32 1990 Port Moody-Burnaby Mountain 17662 82 3877 18 430 Powell River-Sunshine Coast 14294 77.4 4174 22.6 1606 Prince George-Mount Robson 8668 83.05 1769 16.95 1201 Prince George North 11553 83.09 2351 16.91 368 Prince George-Omineca 10170 82.66 2133 17.34 1139 Richmond Centre 13260 80.74 3164 19.26 1484 Richmond East 12764 82.34 2737 17.66 1757 Richmond-Steveston 13098 80 3275 20 1314 Rossland-Trail 11886 81.92 2624 18.08 1653 Saanich North and the Islands 18911 77.4 5523 22.6 1786 Saanich South 17153 79.15 4518 20.85 1527 Shuswap 15531 79.46 4014 20.54 2448 Skeena 8668 78.86 2324 21.14 1031 Surrey-Cloverdale 18698 84.27 3490 15.73 1726 Surrey-Green Timbers 15171 86.88 2291 13.12 1869 Surrey-Newton 19214 85.88 3158 14.12 2296 Surrey-Whalley 12110 86.32 1919 13.68 1339 Surrey-White Rock 21702 82.62 4566 17.38 2622 Vancouver-Burrard 14233 79.22 3734 20.78 1613 Vancouver-Fraserview 13893 84.05 2636 15.95 2054 Vancouver-Hastings 13562 84.1 2564 15.9 2526 Vancouver-Kensington 13718 85.16 2390 14.84 2204 Vancouver-Kingsway 13033 86.16 2093 13.84 2463 Vancouver-Langara 14846 80.24 3656 19.76 1454 Vancouver-Little Mountain 16046 76.13 5032 23.87 2166 Vancouver-Mount Pleasant 11635 81.82 2586 18.18 2310 Vancouver-Point Grey 16536 71.62 6553 28.38 1623 Vancouver-Quilchena 15498 71.6 6148 28.4 1593 Victoria-Beacon Hill 15671 75.38 5117 24.62 2599 Victoria-Hillside 16102 79.59 4128 20.41 1976 West Vancouver-Capilano 16842 78.01 4747 21.99 1705 West Vancouver-Garibaldi 14168 79.01 3765 20.99 1376 Yale-Lillooet 11225 83.14 2277 16.86 1883 Total 1090023 80.89 257522 19.11 135363Source:http://www.elections.bc.ca/elections/sov91/sov91-27-1.html Referendum Summary Statement of Votes Elections BC June 1992 2008-01-31 https://web.archive.org/web/20071004233833/http://www.elections.bc.ca/elections/sov91/sov91-27-1.html 2007-10-04 dead Question B: Initiative District Yes Percentage No Percentage Rejected Abbotsford 14335 84.78 2573 15.22 1900 Alberni 10084 86.36 1593 13.64 2080 Bulkley Valley-Stikine 8221 83.53 1621 16.47 1451 Burnaby-Edmonds 15944 84.35 2959 15.65 2727 Burnaby North 15359 84.9 2731 15.1 2556 Burnaby-Willingdon 18185 84.03 3456 15.97 2664 Cariboo North 9923 87.86 1371 12.14 1557 Cariboo South 10746 85.78 1781 14.22 1767 Chilliwack 16642 85.33 2862 14.67 2905 Columbia River-Revelstoke 10495 86.24 1674 13.76 1880 Comox Valley 18996 79.72 4833 20.28 2948 Coquitlam-Maillardville 18468 85.19 3210 14.81 2447 Cowichan-Ladysmith 16905 83.89 3247 16.11 2843 Delta North 16385 84 3122 16 1816 Delta South 16880 81.16 3918 18.84 1497 Esquimalt-Metchosin 17591 84.33 3268 15.67 2269 Fort Langley-Aldergrove 16000 85.95 2615 14.05 1611 Kamloops 15257 81.63 3433 18.37 1963 Kamloops-North Thompson 11212 82.13 2439 17.87 1453 Kootenay 12187 87.39 1758 12.61 2078 Langley 14244 85.42 2431 14.58 1994 Malahat-Juan de Fuca 15070 85.7 2514 14.3 2306 Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows 20090 85.52 3401 14.48 2456 Matsqui 13963 85.35 2397 14.65 2995 Mission-Kent 12874 83.45 2553 16.55 2027 Nanaimo 16154 82.5 3426 17.5 2597 Nelson-Creston 13464 82.66 2824 17.34 2309 New Westminster 15731 84.07 2981 15.93 2435 North Coast 7759 84.05 1472 15.95 1498 North Island 12793 84.14 2412 15.86 1697 North Vancouver-Lonsdale 15275 85.51 2588 14.49 2100 North Vancouver-Seymour 18420 81.33 4229 18.67 1467 Oak Bay-Gordon Head 17701 73.38 6420 26.62 2784 Okanagan-Boundary 10611 80.36 2594 19.64 2594 Okanagan East 16854 84.98 2980 15.02 2819 Okanagan-Penticton 15560 80.7 3721 19.3 3662 Okanagan-Vernon 16961 83.65 3314 16.35 2775 Okanagan West 20684 84.23 3874 15.77 4298 Parksville-Qualicum 18999 81.66 4266 18.34 2952 Peace River North 7959 85.52 1348 14.48 1522 Peace River South 9759 88.86 1223 11.14 1721 Port Coquitlam 20260 86.99 3029 13.01 2238 Port Moody-Burnaby Mountain 17895 84.03 3402 15.97 672 Powell River-Sunshine Coast 14847 82.4 3171 17.6 2056 Prince George-Mount Robson 8588 84.64 1559 15.36 1491 Prince George North 11498 84.35 2133 15.65 641 Prince George-Omineca 10188 84.29 1899 15.71 1355 Richmond Centre 13347 82.71 2791 17.29 1770 Richmond East 12782 84.41 2361 15.59 2115 Richmond-Steveston 13222 81.97 2909 18.03 1556 Rossland-Trail 11989 85.17 2088 14.83 2086 Saanich North and the Islands 18816 78.37 5192 21.63 2212 Saanich South 17053 79.55 4383 20.45 1762 Shuswap 15661 82.58 3304 17.42 3028 Skeena 8987 83.63 1759 16.37 1277 Surrey-Cloverdale 18600 85.44 3169 14.56 2145 Surrey-Green Timbers 14733 86.38 2324 13.62 2274 Surrey-Newton 18928 86.18 3035 13.82 2705 Surrey-Whalley 11933 86.63 1841 13.37 1594 Surrey-White Rock 20960 81.74 4681 18.26 3249 Vancouver-Burrard 14232 80.18 3518 19.82 1830 Vancouver-Fraserview 13713 85.01 2418 14.99 2452 Vancouver-Hastings 13343 85.34 2292 14.66 3017 Vancouver-Kensington 13428 86.34 2124 13.66 2760 Vancouver-Kingsway 12688 87.26 1852 12.74 3049 Vancouver-Langara 14901 81.73 3332 18.27 1723 Vancouver-Little Mountain 16366 78.75 4419 21.25 2459 Vancouver-Mount Pleasant 11530 84.25 2156 15.75 2845 Vancouver-Point Grey 16972 74.38 5847 25.62 1893 Vancouver-Quilchena 15568 72.91 5783 27.09 1888 Victoria-Beacon Hill 15567 76.8 4703 23.2 3117 Victoria-Hillside 16146 81.58 3645 18.42 2415 West Vancouver-Capilano 16764 78.68 4542 21.32 1988 West Vancouver-Garibaldi 14258 80.45 3464 19.55 1587 Yale-Lillooet 11378 86.53 1771 13.47 2236 Total 1095100 83.02 223902 16.98 163906Source:http://www.elections.bc.ca/elections/sov91/sov91-27-2.html Referendum Summary Statement of Votes Elections BC June 1992 2008-01-31 https://web.archive.org/web/20071005181918/http://www.elections.bc.ca/elections/sov91/sov91-27-2.html 2007-10-05 dead Aftermath British Columbia's legislation made a referendum binding only on the government that called it. As the Socreds had been defeated, the incoming NDP government was not required to enable recall and initiative. Nevertheless, Premier-elect Mike Harcourt announced that his government would be bound by the results.Vancouver Sun 1991-10-19 B9 Justine Hunter Early referendum count shows B.C. voters want power to remove, rescind, recall As a consequence, the Recall and Initiative Act was passed and entered into force on February 24, 1995. In 1998, MLA Paul Reitsma resigned his seat when it appeared that a recall petition would be successful and he could be the first person recalled under the legislation. As of April 2023, according to Elections BC the Recall and Initiative Act has been invoked: 29 times with registered Recall petitions, all of which are deemed to have failed;Elections BC Summary of Recall Petitions 2023-04-13 https://elections.bc.ca/docs/rcl/Summary-of-Recall-Petitions.pdfBusiness in Vancouver Bob Mackin Recall David Eby campaign falls far short of goal https://biv.com/article/2023/03/recall-david-eby-campaign-falls-far-short-goal 2023-03-21 2023-04-13 14 times with registered Initiative petitions, of which only one passed (see 2011 British Columbia sales tax referendum).https://www.elections.bc.ca/docs/init/Summary-of-Initiative-Petitions.pdf Summary of Initiative Petitions Elections BC 2023-04-13 See also Politics of British Columbia Referendums in Canada William Aberhart, the first politician in Canada ever to be subject to a recall campaign References External links Elections BC Category:1991 elections in Canada Category:October 1991 in Canada Recall and initiative referendum Category:1991 referendums 1991 recall and initiative Category:Initiatives