In 1993, after a review, Mike Harcourt took away the vote from from corporations. But as our electoral system comes under review – including looking seriously at proportional representation in municipal elections – the issue of the corporate vote is again on the table.
An article in the Georgia Straight outlines the major issues. The argument against it is, basically, One Person, One Vote: if its managers already vote as individuals, why should a business get an additional vote? The argument for, as voiced by John Winter, president of the B.C. Chamber of Commerce, is that because businesses pay higher taxes, they should have more influence. It's worth noting however that one proposal on the table would only see those business owners who do not already have a ballot to cast in the municipality given a vote as a business.
What do you think? Should businesses – which pay taxes, buy permits, and have to abide by the rules of their municipality – be able to cast a vote in civic elections? Or does the idea encroach on the essence of democracy, that is, the rule of people by the people?