How citizens help governments make big decisions
Victoria Saanich Citizens’ Assembly is the latest example
I enjoy reading stories about how political leaders are turning to citizens to help them make big decisions, and I had always thought of Ireland as been leading the way on this kind of participatory consultation for a while. Now the latest example is happening in Victoria, BC, Canada, and Canada - as I discovered from the information kit - is a world leader in such processes.
The Victoria Saanich Citizens’ Assembly had its first session this past weekend. Over the next year, they will tackle the question of whether the two municipalities should be amalgamated - something which citizens voted for in 2018, and which has been discussed for years, apparently. Its mandate is to explore the costs, benefits and disadvantages of amalgamation.
“Citizens’ Assemblies play an increasingly important role in democracy, allowing members of the public to represent their communities and provide meaningful recommendations to government about policies that impact their lives,” says Peter MacLeod, the Assembly Chair and Principal of MASS LBP, which is facilitating the assembly.
In fact, as I learned from the information kit for Assembly members, the first Citizens Assembly was held in British Columbia in 2004 and this is the fifth such assembly to be held in the province. Canada, where approximately 50 such gatherings have been held, is a world leader in this ‘deliberative wave’, which has seen more than 1000 such gatherings being held around the world since 2004.
With the assistance of independent experts from within and outside the region, the Assembly will learn about the municipalities and the issues around amalgamation and deliberate together on whether and under what conditions it should take place. They will draft an interim and a final public report, which will be delivered to the elected councils of Victoria and Saanich.
The Citizens’ Assembly is an independent process commissioned by the elected councils of both municipalities, and funded by the municipalities and the Province of British Columbia. Assembly recommendations need to be endorsed by both councils and then approved by a majority of voters in both municipalities during a referendum. The plan would then require approval of the Government of British Columbia.
In April, 10,000 randomly selected households in Victoria and Saanich received a letter inviting them to volunteer for the Citizens’ Assembly. The goal was to ensure that the Assembly represents a cross-section of the community, with a selection process designed to reflect local demographics, considering age, gender, income, race/ethnicity, and geography.
Community outreach spread information. In February 2024, there was an online Information Session, open to the general public. In April 2024, the team made presentations to two neighbourhood associations, and in May 2024, they partnered with Our Place Society to present information about the Assembly to unhoused, transitionally housed, and other vulnerable groups.
Just over 300 residents volunteered to participate and on June 3, 48 volunteers were randomly selected through a Civic Lottery to serve on the Citizens' Assembly. In a Civic Lottery, representatives are blindly selected in a way that broadly matches the demographics of the two communities. Twenty-seven Assembly members were selected from Saanich and 21 from Victoria, proportional to their relative populations.
Each got an informational welcome kit and completed an onboarding process, including a short interview and signing a public service pledge.
The Assembly will meet for eight Saturdays, from September 2024 to April 2025. The first two Public Meetings, to be held November 20 and 21, will give the public a chance to learn more about the Assembly process and meet members of the Assembly. A second round of public meetings will be held in February 2025.
Congratulations to the two councils, and to citizens of both Victoria and Saanich, for showing a constructive, positive and participatory way to discuss and move forward on a challenging issue.