DOCSLIB.ORG

Drunk Driving: B.C

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text

Load more

DRUNK DRIVING: B.C. PREMIER IS CHARGED YV Introduction At around 1:30 a.m. on January 10, step down, saying, “I have never, ever Focus 2003, Maui police pulled over a vehicle believed public officials are allowed to The focus of this that had been moving erratically on the distinguish between public and private News in Review story is the case of Honoapiilani Highway. Police say the time when it comes to breaking the Premier Gordon driver was speeding and, at times, law.” Similarly, Louise Knox, national Campbell. In Janu- driving on the wrong side of the road. It president of Mothers Against Drunk ary 2003, Campbell was soon determined that the driver was Driving (MADD), called on Campbell was charged with intoxicated. He was subsequently to “do the honourable thing and step impaired driving arrested, charged with impaired driving, down.” She pointed out that impaired while on vacation in Hawaii. The fingerprinted, photographed, impris- driving is the number-one criminal incident unleashed oned for eight hours, and later released cause of death in Canada. As a govern- a debate that on $257(U.S.) bail. ment leader, Campbell needed to show moved from the It was only later that Maui police respect for the law. Knox said: “The call for the resigna- realized they had arrested British Co- premier of a province needs to demon- tion of the Premier to the legal and lumbia Premier Gordon Campbell. strate sound judgment and, through ethical impact of Campbell had attended a party earlier. example, a moral authority. He should impaired driving in He claimed that he drank three martinis step down until his court appearance, Canada. This fea- and several glasses of wine, over a and if he is convicted, he should fulfill ture examines the seven-hour period. By the time he was his obligations to his sentence before story behind Campbell’s arrest as officially charged at the police station, returning as premier.” The Kamloops well as the ethical Campbell had a blood alcohol concen- Daily News seemed to capture the mood and legal issues tration (BAC) of 0.149 per cent, well of those calling for the Premier’s head, related to impaired over the legal limit of 0.08 per cent. stating, “Lawmakers must respect the driving. Canadians awoke Saturday morning law, not break it.” to find Campbell’s mug shots splashed Meanwhile, British Columbia Liber- across the front page of local and als scurried to Campbell’s defence. The YV Sections marked with this national newspapers. To make matters Liberal caucus issued a statement that symbol indicate worse, the Premier was smiling in some pointed out the gravity of the Premier’s content suitable for of the pictures. Campbell appeared error but claimed he should not lose his younger viewers. before the media the following day, job over the impaired driving charges. saying that he “had way too much to “This is an isolated, personal mistake drink” and that he “made a terrible that should not wipe out the Premier’s Further Research mistake.” With tears in his eyes he 18 years of dedication and commitment To learn more about current admitted that he had asked himself to public life in British Columbia.” political issues in repeatedly how he could have acted so Finance Minister Gary Collins called B.C. visit the official irresponsibly. the impaired driving incident a “per- government Web Shortly after the story broke, calls for sonal issue” that had nothing to do with site at the Premier’s resignation began surfac- Campbell’s job as premier. Collins www.gov.bc.ca and ing. NDP Leader Joy McPhail was went on to say that the Liberals had the official Web site of the provin- unhappy with Campbell’s attempt to been elected with an overwhelming cial NDP at defend his premiership based on the mandate, taking 77 of 79 seats in the www.B.C.ndp.ca. fact that the incident occurred during B.C. legislature, and that work needed his private time. She called on him to to be done to move forward the agenda CBC News in Review • March 2003 • Page 19 on which they were elected. He said be simultaneously the top lawmaker and The Measure of that Campbell played a key role in the B.C.’s best-known criminal.” Mean- Impaired Driving emergence of the Liberal platform and while, The Ottawa Citizen’s Charles Blood alcohol the election victory. He needed to stay Gordon says that the incident provides concentration (BAC) refers to the in his position to fulfill his mandate. an opportunity for Premier Campbell to percentage of Political pundits have had a field day create a legacy. By staying in office, he alcohol in the with the case of Premier Campbell. The could use his mistake to put forward an blood. In Canada, debate over whether or not the Premier agenda that sets a higher standard for the legal limit should resign has been at the centre of impaired driving. He could work with established in the most of the discussions. However, some victim advocacy organizations to im- Criminal Code for drinking and perspectives have proven more eloquent prove existing laws or make changes driving is 80 milli- than others, focusing on what many see that allow law enforcement agencies to grams of alcohol in as the real issue: impaired driving. Ian deal with the problem of impaired 100 millilitres of Mulgrew of the Vancouver Sun points driving more effectively. If Campbell blood, or 0.08 per out that defenders of Campbell have wants to make things right, Charles cent. However, most provincial and been careful to avoid calling impaired Gordon thinks he needs to demonstrate territorial jurisdic- driving a crime. Instead people are his commitment to reducing impaired tions have adminis- referring to the incident as “a misde- driving in his own country. trative driver’s meanor,” “a terrible mistake,” “an In the meantime, Campbell has license suspensions irresponsible and shameful thing,” or “a decided to plead guilty to the impaired in their traffic code misjudgment.” With over 70 000 driving charges and stay on as premier. at 0.05 per cent or lower. Therefore, charges laid every year in Canada, He has vowed never to drink alcohol someone could Mulgrew reiterates MADD’s perspec- again. Many critics wonder if this is have their license tive: drunk driving is a serious crime. enough. suspended under Mulgrew concludes that, “It’s hard to the provincial traffic code for having a BAC of Questions 0.05 per cent, but What disturbing photographs did Canadians see in local and national news- the matter be- papers the day after Premier Campbell was charged with impaired driving? comes a federal Why do you think people were disturbed by these pictures? Explain. criminal offence when the BAC reaches 0.08 per cent. Definition A pundit is a per- son who has a certain expertise. Interestingly, this popular political term originated in India and described a Hindu educated in Sanskrit, law, and philosophy. CBC News in Review • March 2003 • Page 20 This reading offers a range of opinions on the issue of whether Gordon Campbell should resign. Use the following table to outline the arguments for and against the Premier’s resignation and then write up your final view on this controversial issue. Why Campbell Should Resign Why Campbell Should Not Resign My Final Decision Is the Premier’s vow to never drink again enough? Explain your answer. What advice would you give to Gordon Campbell? CBC News in Review • March 2003 • Page 21 DRUNK DRIVING: B.C. PREMIER IS CHARGED YV Video Review 1. How have people’s attitudes changed about drinking and driving? Answer the ques- tions on this and the following pages while review- ing the video story. It may be necessary to answer the more complex questions after you have seen the video. 2. What happened while B.C. Premier Gordon Campbell was on vacation in Hawaii in January 2003? 3. What is former NDP strategist Bill Tieleman’s position regarding the Campbell situation? 4. How did Campbell feel about the incident in Maui? Was he sorry for what he did? Did he show remorse when he appeared before the media? 5. Does the Premier plan to fight the charges against him? CBC News in Review • March 2003 • Page 22 6. What was the result of Campbell’s roadside breath test? 7. Name two other high-profile political figures who have been involved in impaired driving incidents. 8. From where do most statistics regarding impaired driving crashes come? What problems arise from this method of data collection? 9. What percentage of fatally injured drivers were impaired at the time of their crashes? 10. What are the three character profiles of drunk drivers? CBC News in Review • March 2003 • Page 23 11. How are some provinces toughening penalties for impaired drivers? Did you know . Premier Campbell’s roadside breath test was 0.161 per cent? When he was tested again at the police station his BAC result was 0.149 per cent. 12. What techniques were used to demonstrate the feeling of being im- paired at the lunchtime demonstration in Fredericton? 13. What motivated Mark Savard to use hypnosis to teach people about the effects of drinking and driving? 14. Outline your personal views on drinking and driving. 15. Describe any incidents of drinking and driving in your own community. CBC News in Review • March 2003 • Page 24 DRUNK DRIVING: B.C. PREMIER IS CHARGED Government, Ethics, and Confucius The case of Gordon Campbell poses a Test #1: Reciprocity The Master said, number of ethical questions, some of “He who rules by There is no question that Campbell’s moral force is like which concern the way we are gov- choice to drink and drive fails the test the pole-star, which erned.
Recommended publications
  • Asper Nation Other Books by Marc Edge

    Asper Nation Other Books by Marc Edge

    Asper Nation other books by marc edge Pacific Press: The Unauthorized Story of Vancouver’s Newspaper Monopoly Red Line, Blue Line, Bottom Line: How Push Came to Shove Between the National Hockey League and Its Players ASPER NATION Canada’s Most Dangerous Media Company Marc Edge NEW STAR BOOKS VANCOUVER 2007 new star books ltd. 107 — 3477 Commercial Street | Vancouver, bc v5n 4e8 | canada 1574 Gulf Rd., #1517 | Point Roberts, wa 98281 | usa www.NewStarBooks.com | [email protected] Copyright Marc Edge 2007. All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior written consent of the publisher or a licence from the Canadian Copyright Licensing Agency (access Copyright). Publication of this work is made possible by the support of the Canada Council, the Government of Canada through the Department of Cana- dian Heritage Book Publishing Industry Development Program, the British Columbia Arts Council, and the Province of British Columbia through the Book Publishing Tax Credit. Printed and bound in Canada by Marquis Printing, Cap-St-Ignace, QC First printing, October 2007 library and archives canada cataloguing in publication Edge, Marc, 1954– Asper nation : Canada’s most dangerous media company / Marc Edge. Includes bibliographical references and index. isbn 978-1-55420-032-0 1. CanWest Global Communications Corp. — History. 2. Asper, I.H., 1932–2003. I. Title. hd2810.12.c378d34 2007 384.5506'571 c2007–903983–9 For the Clarks – Lynda, Al, Laura, Spencer, and Chloe – and especially their hot tub, without which this book could never have been written.
  • EXTRACT: Vol. 23, No. 6

    EXTRACT: Vol. 23, No. 6

    www.dialogue.ca EXTRACT EXTRACT: Vol.VOL. 2323, NO. No. 6 APRIL-MAY 6 www.dialogue.ca 2010 dialogue 1 PLEASE2 dialogue NOTE APR.-MAY THAT 2009PAGE VOL. NUMBERING 22 NO.6 REFERS TO THEEXTRACT PRINT EDITION OF THEwww.dial MAGAZINE.ogue.ca TO REQUEST A COMPLIMENTARY PRINTED COPY, ANYWHERE IN CANADA, E-MAIL: [email protected] A word from the publisher and editor… dialogue is... This edition of dialogue invites us to rethink – with open minds and hearts – some of the many …an independent, volunteer- assumptions that we hold about the way things work produced, not-for-profit Canadian (or don’t work!) in our world today. magazine, written and supported Many writers challenge us to “think again” about by its readers - empowering their voices and the sharing of ideas. questions that most people assume were “settled” long , for 23 years, ago, things as unassailable as “death and taxes!” dialogue There are two hot political topics, centred in BC but has been providing a forum for the exchange of ideas and an with important implications for all Canadians: the Fight HST Citizen Initiative antidote to political correctness. (P.37, 59) and the “Get Out Migration” campaign to save the wild Pacific We encourage readers to share Salmon (P.17, 60) – both bringing people together in new ways to effect change with others the ideas and issues and seeking to influence government. gleaned from these pages. Wasn’t it Albert Einstein who said, “We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.” If this is your first issue, please let us know what you think of it.
  • The Politics of Consumption Tax Reform

    The Politics of Consumption Tax Reform

    Playing with Fiscal Fire: The Politics of Consumption Tax Reform by Matthew Lesch A thesis submitted in conformity with the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Department of Political Science University of Toronto © Copyright by Matthew Lesch 2018 Playing with Fiscal Fire: The Politics of Consumption Tax Reform Matthew Lesch Doctor of Philosophy Political Science University of Toronto Abstract 2018 Drawing on the case of consumption tax reform, this dissertation investigates the varying capacity of governments to enact and institutionalize ―general-interest reforms‖ (Patashnik 2003). The study advances a two-stage theory of policy reform. The first part explains why some governments, in spite of the political risks, decide to pursue general-interest reforms. In this first stage, two variants of policy learning—rational learning and emulation—are proposed to explain policy uptake. The second stage of the theory builds on policy feedback scholarship (Pierson 1993;Mettler and SoRelle 2014), claiming that the durability of a reform hinges on policy design. It proposes that governments can prompt various policy feedback effects through policy design and communications. Such efforts can shape the political incentives and perceptions of interest groups, opposition parties and voters at key junctures in the policy process. The study illustrates the analytic value of this approach through two distinct but complementary empirical strategies. First, through comparative case analysis using mainly qualitative techniques of elite interviews and document analysis, it compares the varying experiences of two Canadian provincial governments— Ontario and British Columbia (BC)—with value-added tax (VAT) reform. While each government chose to pursue VAT reform in the late 2000s, only in the case of Ontario was it successfully implemented while the BC government was forced to reverse its policy decision.
  • Katy Perry Won't Lose Her Sexy Self

    Katy Perry Won't Lose Her Sexy Self

    Become a Psychiatric Nurse in 23 months There is an urgent need for more Registered Psychiatric Nurses (RPN); with the workforce aging – the average age of a Registered Psychiatric Nurse in BC is 47 years – the number of retirees from the profession is exceeding the number of graduates. Entry-level earnings start at $29/hour. 1-87-STENBERG The only program of its kind in BC, students can learn within their local communities via distance education, www.stenbergcollege.com local and/or regional clinical placements, and some regional classroom delivery. This 23 month program is recognized by the CRPNBC. Government funding may be available. TUESDAY NOV. 16 2010 VOL.6 Nº154 Max. 9 Min. 5 Recycle me Canucks lose KATY PERRY WON’T in overtime in LOSE HER SEXY SELF P10 Buffalo P20 VANCOUVER Blast survivors heading home P3 The wife and daughter of Nanaimo MLA real estate agent Malcolm Johnson – killed in a Mexico resort gas explosion – return home on Tuesday. LIFESTYLE hit Different dating strategies P14 Did you know everyone has a unique strategy in the dating field? It’s true, and knowing about your own style can help you figure out list why you are or aren’t successful. TRAVEL VANDER ZALM AND Heaven on earth FIGHT HST ORGANIZERS RELEASE RECALL LIST for spa lovers P19 There’s no be�er reason to get out OF LIBERAL MLAS P5 of here. We bring you the top 10 best spas in the world, ranging from the PHOTO CARMINE MARINELLI Grand Wailea in Maui to the Marine Beach Resort in Dubai.
  • Debates of the Legislative Assembly

    Debates of the Legislative Assembly

    First Session, 40th Parliament OFFICIAL REPORT OF DEBATES OF THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY (HANSARD) Th ursday, July 18, 2013 Aft ernoon Sitting Volume 3, Number 7 THE HONOURABLE LINDA REID, SPEAKER ISSN 0709-1281 (Print) ISSN 1499-2175 (Online) PROVINCE OF BRITISH COLUMBIA (Entered Confederation July 20, 1871) LIEUTENANT-GOVERNOR Her Honour the Honourable Judith Guichon, OBC First Session, 40th Parliament SPEAKER OF THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY Honourable Linda Reid EXECUTIVE COUNCIL Premier and President of the Executive Council ..............................................................................................................Hon. Christy Clark Deputy Premier and Minister of Natural Gas Development and Minister Responsible for Housing ......................Hon. Rich Coleman Minister of Aboriginal Relations and Reconciliation ......................................................................................................... Hon. John Rustad Minister of Advanced Education ............................................................................................................................................ Hon. Amrik Virk Minister of Agriculture ............................................................................................................................................................... Hon. Pat Pimm Minister of Children and Family Development .......................................................................................................Hon. Stephanie Cadieux Minister of Community, Sport and Cultural
  • Restoring Fairness and Balance in Labour Relations: the Bc Liberals’ Attacks on Unions and Workers 2001-2016

    Restoring Fairness and Balance in Labour Relations: the Bc Liberals’ Attacks on Unions and Workers 2001-2016

    RESTORING FAIRNESS AND BALANCE IN LABOUR RELATIONS: THE BC LIBERALS’ ATTACKS ON UNIONS AND WORKERS 2001-2016 John MacTavish and Chris Buchanan November 2016 This paper was produced by John MacTavish and Chris Buchanan for the BC Federation of Labour John MacTavish is a partner at the Hastings Labour Law Office. Chris Buchanan is a founding partner at the Hastings Labour Law Office. November 2016 INTRODUCTION tiple successful Charter5 challenges, the full extent of the damage done may be less It enhances human dignity, equality, liberty, understood and appreciated outside of the and autonomy.1 labour relations community. It “carries the hallmark of democracy.”2 For example, the BC Liberals have, by design, made the Labour Relations Board It increases prosperity, leads to a higher more remote from the community it is standard of living, and contributes to the intended to serve, more irrelevant as an ad- “economic health of a country.”3 judicative body, and condoned the Board’s creating barriers to access to collective These are just some of the words the Su- bargaining, including but not limited to preme Court of Canada and others have institutional delay and increased costs for used to describe the importance of the certifications. fundamental right of workers to join and be represented by a union. Perhaps the most pernicious anti-worker The BC Liberals legacy of the BC Liberals is the sense that have governed When governments deny the ability of the current status quo is what should be ex- BC for the past workers to come together to collectively pected or what meets the needs of workers 15 years.
  • The Introduction of a Harmonized Sales Tax in British Columbia and Ontario

    The Introduction of a Harmonized Sales Tax in British Columbia and Ontario

    The Precarious Politics of Shifting Direction: The Introduction of a Harmonized Sales Tax in British Columbia and Ontario George Malcolm Abbott* n 2009, the governments of Ontario and British Columbia embraced a tax shift that no other province had attempted for over a decade: the harmonization of their provincial sales taxes with Ithe federal goods and services tax. Harmonization had languished in the policy backwaters of British Columbia and Ontario for almost two decades, spurned and neglected, until it suddenly emerged as the policy solution to the challenge of economic competitiveness in a rapidly changing world. In the consistent messaging of the federal government and later of both provinces, harmonization became “the single most important step” provinces could take to enhance competitiveness.1 Important or not, the harmonized sales tax (hst) proved deeply un- popular.2 Yet, despite some similarities between British Columbia and Ontario in the development and implementation of the hst, outcomes differed dramatically. In Ontario, thehst remains intact; in British Columbia, the hst is gone if not forgotten, its demise a consequence of a populist rebellion that found expression through the province’s Recall and Initiative Act. Ironically, the BC hst was undermined by the same objective – deficit containment – that had prompted its adoption. This article explores two key questions surrounding harmonization. First, why did the Ontario and BC governments, after long opposing harmonization, reel the hst out of the policy stream and place it at the top * The author would like to thank Colin Bennett, Jamie Lawson, James Tully, Paddy Smith, and Brant Abbott as well as the anonymous referees from BC Studies for their comments and suggestions.
  • Download This Issue

    Download This Issue

    Green Reno Inside Guide March/April 2009 Newstand Price $4.50 Environmental News from BC and the World MEGA PROBLEMS - MEGA FIX? – Changing the Vote – Bute Battle – Saving Caribou – Free Trade with Colombia? Vol 19 No 2 ISSN 1188-360X May 20th-22nd, 2009 A Better Future: Whistler, British Columbia Adapting to Early Registration Now On! Register by Monday March 16th and save! Change www.bclandsummit.com PRESENTS: The 2009 BC Land Summit promises to be an exciting interdisciplinary conference Major Funding Partner: organized by six professional organizations, all of whom share ties to land use in British Columbia and have combined their 2009 annual conferences into this joint venture. The preliminary program is now available, and includes an extensive, diverse range of keynote speakers, workshops, sessions, mobile workshop tours, social activities and more. Early registration is now on. The early registration deadline is March 16th, 2009, and is fast approaching so be sure to Conference Partners: register today and save! www.bclandsummit.com KEYNOTE SPEAKERS: Four prominent and diverse keynote speakers will lead off and close each of the two main days of programming. The 2009 BC Land Summit is pleased to present the following exciting, diverse keynote speakers: Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. Thomas Berger Leading global environmental Lawyer and former British Columbia activist and lawyer. Supreme Court Justice. Sherry Kafka-Wagner Dr. Richard Hebda Urban design and public place Curator, botany and earth history, development consultant. Royal B.C.
  • 146536005.Pdf

    146536005.Pdf

    1 Preface Is RCMP Psychologist Neal Anderson out to lunch? Neal D. Anderson, Ph .D., C.Psych. Divisional Psychologist RCMP, "D7"V": Division Health Services 1091 Portage Avenue Winnipeg, Manitoba R3C 3K2 tel: (204) 984-2007 fax: (204) 984-5580 email: [email protected] As the young applicant recalled, this was the nature of his conversation with Anderson: Anderson: Would you be able to use force, arrest an individual suspected of a crime? Me: Yes. I have already arrested a number of criminals for different offences and have assisted others, Loss Prevention Officers, and police officers in arresting others. Anderson: If a mayor or family member committed a crime would you be able to arrest them. Me: Yes absolutely, I dislike anyone who has committed a crime, no matter what the crime is, and will not hesitate to arrest them or see that corrective action be taken for their criminal behavior. For instance, if my folks broke traffic laws I have informed them I would have to ticket them. I do not like associating with people who have admitted to crimes or been convicted of crimes. Anderson: Have you been a victim of a crime? Me: No. My parents raised me correctly in believing right from wrong, that is why I have never done anything wrong in my life. Anderson: Do you see everything in black and white, with regards to bad guys and good guys? Me: No there are areas of gray. For instance in my Loss Prevention, I detained people but did not call the police as there was no need to call the police, as the amount of merchandise was small or the person was co- 2 operative, but if one has committed a crime they will need to be detain.
  • Masks of Hegemony: Populism, Neoliberalism, and Welfare Narratives in British Columbia, 1975-2004

    Masks of Hegemony: Populism, Neoliberalism, and Welfare Narratives in British Columbia, 1975-2004

    Masks of Hegemony: Populism, Neoliberalism, and Welfare Narratives in British Columbia, 1975-2004 by Drew Koehn BA, University of the Fraser Valley, 2012 A Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of MASTER OF ARTS in the Department of History © Drew Koehn, 2019 University of Victoria All rights reserved. This thesis may not be reproduced in whole or in part, by photocopy or other means, without the permission of the author. ii Supervisory Committee Masks of Hegemony: Populism, Neoliberalism, and Welfare Narratives in British Columbia, 1975-2004 by Drew Koehn BA, University of the Fraser Valley, 2012 Supervisory Committee Dr. Lynne Marks, Department of History Co-Supervisor Dr. Gregory Blue, Department of History Co-Supervisor iii Abstract Supervisory Committee Dr. Lynne Marks, Department of History Co-Supervisor Dr. Gregory Blue, Department of History Co-Supervisor For all but thirteen years of the decades from 1952 to 2017, British Columbia was electorally dominated by the Social Credit Party and its ideological successor, the BC Liberal Party. These organizations represented the interests of business in opposition to the social democratic NDP, which has drawn a core support base from organized labour and the public sector middle class. This thesis frames the Social Credit-BC Liberal political formation as a ruling class bloc that maintained hegemony by switching between distinct rhetorical modes as the political situation required or allowed, with economic austerity, framed as objective necessity, on one hand, and populism, employing overt moralism and down-to-earth posturing, on the other. I posit that both modes operated to mask the class conflict at the heart of the neoliberal project of free markets, public sector reduction, and social atomization that has attained the status of political and economic “common sense” since its policies began to be widely adopted around the world in the late 1970s.
  • By Graeme Andrew Hooper BA (Hons), The

    By Graeme Andrew Hooper BA (Hons), The

    INFOPvMATION AND INTERESTS IN THE ABSENCE OF PARTISAN ENDORSEMENTS: EFFICIENT DECISION-MAKING IN THE BRITISH COLUMBIA REFERENDUM ON ELECTORAL REFORM By Graeme Andrew Hooper B.A. (Hons), The University of British Columbia, 2004 A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS in THE FACULTY OF GRADUATE STUDIES (Political Science) THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA August 2006 © Graeme Andrew Hooper, 2006 ABSTRACT This thesis examines how voter decision-making was affected by the absence of partisan endorsements in the 2005 B.C. referendum on electoral reform. In particular, it is hypothesized that parties' positions of neutrality were sufficiently obscure to have been missed by most voters, with those voters who incorrectly inferred a position of support or opposition using their feelings towards the particular party to determine their alignment with the perceived party position. The adverse effects of such mistaken inferences should be mitigated by increasing information, with higher-information voters capable of spreading decisions across complex measures of interest. Two such measures are proposed. First, voters could rely on their feelings towards parties, as the single transferable vote (STV) was generally accepted to be bad for the large parties. Second, voters could rely on the likelihood that their vote would be wasted under the current electoral system, as STV was generally accepted to reduce wasted votes. Analysis of survey data confirms that a majority of respondents missed the party positions of neutrality, with even high-information respondents demonstrating little ability to pick up on the correct position. Further, respondents who incorrectly inferred a position of support or opposition from one of the major parties used their feelings towards that party to determine their alignment with the perceived position.