Our electoral system is skewed in favour of party-affiliated candidates, leaving independents (unaffiliated) disadvantaged. The drought of fairness experienced by independent (or unaffiliated) candidates intent on serving as a member of the legislative assembly or members of parliament requires attention.
During non-election periods, parties can amass funds through various sources, giving them a head start. Contrastingly, independent candidates lie fallow, unable to generate financial backing until an election is officially declared. Moreover, their inability to issue tax receipts outside of an election period further complicates their fundraising attempts.
The result of this inequity? Independent candidates grapple with running a resource-limited campaign, while their counterparts enjoy a surplus of funds for their pre-electoral ventures. Indeed, we owe it to our democracy to conceive a system where independent candidates do not stand on unequal footing.
Amy Haysom, an independent candidate, has bravely put her name forward in these challenging circumstances. Her courage – and that of others like her – deserves admiration and a fair chance. I look to the elected parties after the Oct. 19 elections to rectify this imbalance. Will you support this call for equity?
Surely, we do not need to stack the odds against independents further by endorsing democratic inequities, do we?
Ryan Windsor
Central Saanich
