鈥淚f you were woke, you鈥檇 know that pro rep is lit.鈥�
It鈥檚 the 11-word sentence that has turned heads of all ages since it was uttered by Premier John Horgan during Thursday night鈥檚 electoral reform debate with BC Liberal Party leader Andrew Wilkinson.
Social media users were quick to judge what they saw as a cringe-worthy comment, which Horgan defended on Twitter shortly after the 30-minute debate.
I stand by my statement. .
鈥� John Horgan (@jjhorgan)
Proportional representation means exactly what it says: 40% of the votes = 40% of the seats.
Governments elected under pro rep do what so many of us do every day. They work together to get things done.
If you鈥檙e one of the many people who don鈥檛 know what those words mean, 鈥渨oke鈥� means to understand what鈥檚 really going on in a situation, while 鈥渓it鈥� often means being intoxicated at parties, but anything fun.
Even New Democrat Bowinn Ma, B.C.鈥檚 youngest MLA at 33 years old, said she didn鈥檛 know the two words until Thursday night.
Learning this phrase tonight reconfirms for me what I've said before: That I'm the youngest MLA in BC at 33 doesn't tell you how youthful I am; it tells you how old is! Let's change this with an electoral system that engages younger voters.
鈥� Bowinn Ma (@BowinnMa)
Meanwhile, the catchphrase caught the attention of many online.
The woke and lit comment by Horgan was an attempt to be relatable... I'm sensing a lot of eye-rolls from the intended audience and google searches from everyone else
鈥� Carol Wain (@carolwain)
When Premier Horgan said 鈥渨oke鈥� and 鈥渓it鈥� I finally understood why my teenage daughters cringe when I repeatedly ask them 鈥淚f they heard any good tea at school today.鈥�
鈥� Adrian 馃う馃徎鈥嶁檪锔� (@AY604)
Go John Horgan, but did he just say 鈥渋f you were woke, you鈥檇 know that pro rep is lit?鈥� That was...surreal
鈥� Ishmam Bhuiyan (@ish_bhuiyan25)
Wilkinson and Horgan mostly talked over each other during the debate, staying on familiar talking points.
鈥淟et鈥檚 get modern, let鈥檚 get hip,鈥� Horgan said, in a bid to emphasize how the current First Past the Post system gives a majority to parties who did not get more than half the votes, and that B.C. needs to modernize.
Wilkinson hammered the point that many ballots are being 鈥渢hrown in the trash鈥� because people haven鈥檛 had the time or information to assess the options.
Mail-in ballots are due on Nov. 30 at Elections BC.
鈥� With files from Tom Fletcher
ashley.wadhwani@bpdigital.ca
Like us on and follow us on .
