The right to effective representation: Towards Indigenous representation in the British Columbia Legislature

In 2018, BC's NDP government held a referendum on electoral reform, asking residents whether to adopt proportional representation. Prior to this, the Attorney General consulted Indigenous peoples and Indigenous leaders, who made suggestions on how to improve Indigenous representation in the BC Legislature, pointing to the reserved Māori seats in New Zealand as a way forward. Building on the notion of effective representation established by the Supreme Court of Canada's Carter decision, this project examines the potential for different models of special representation to be implemented for the Indigenous peoples of British Columbia. It will look at the protected constituencies used in Nova Scotia, the reserved Māori seats, and the minority seats used in Croatia. The project assesses the benefits and drawbacks of each model from the perspective of the effective representation of Indigenous peoples in British Columbia.