As the April 28 federal election approaches, Canadian voters are faced with a difficult choice.

The election will have multiple candidates, most representing a multitude of parties and platforms, vying for the support of the public.

For voters, the choice is not as easy as it seems. At times, a well-loved candidate may belong to a party whose leadership a voter cannot support. Or, it may be possible to find a party platform one can endorse, but the candidate does not measure up to the voter鈥檚 expectations.

Attempting to align a candidate, a party platform and the party鈥檚 leadership is a daunting task at best. 

A non-partisan system of government, with all candidates running as independents, would eliminate these challenges.

This already happens at municipal elections in most of Canada. Parties do not exist at this level and individuals can campaign as they wish. Then, once the election is over, those elected need to find a way to work together in the best interests of their constituents.

At times, candidates run under a slate of shared values or form ideological alliances after they are elected, but more often municipal councils are made up of individuals who are free to vote as they choose.

If this system works in Canada, in small towns and in some of the largest cities, could it also function at a federal level?

For an answer, take a look at British Columbia鈥檚 history.

The first 15 provincial governments in the province saw members elected under a non-partisan system. Party politics did not become part of the province鈥檚 political landscape until the 1903 election, more than three decades after B.C. had become a province.

While these early provincial elections were not defined by partisan divides, the governments in those decades were far from idyllic. Many of these governments can be measured in months rather than years. 

Joseph Martin served from Feb. 28 to June 15, 1900, a total of just 106 days. Edwin Gawler Prior, the last premier under the non-partisan system, was in the premier鈥檚 role from Nov. 21, 1902, to June 1, 1903. 

British Columbia tends to have a volatile political climate at the provincial level, but in its first three decades as a province, governments changed frequently.

However, there are other parts of Canada where non-partisan governments are in place without the instability seen in 19th-century British Columbia.

The Northwest Territories and Nunavut both function today without political parties. The territorial governments in both jurisdictions tend to have far more staying power than the provincial government in British Columbia before the party system was introduced.

After 1903, when political parties became entrenched in the B.C. political landscape, governments tended to last longer than during the early years of the province.

However, from 1986 to 2001, no B.C. premier served a full term in the premier鈥檚 role. All either resigned from their position, were appointed after their predecessor had stepped down or both. 

At the federal level, partisan politics has defined every election.

Library of Parliament records show Canada鈥檚 first federal election resulted in 71 Conservatives, 62 Liberals, 29 Liberal-Conservatives, one Labour and 17 Anti-Confederate members elected to the House of Commons. 

Over the years, parties have come and gone, names have changed and some independent candidates have been elected, but the party system remains.

This means voters will once again need to make some tough choices. The choice will be to vote based on party leadership, a platform or a local candidate.

For some voters, all three of these factors will align, making the vote an easy decision. For the rest, the upcoming federal election will be a time to make a difficult choice.

This is the voting system in place at present. For many, the decision made in the voting booth will not be an easy one.

John Arendt is the editor of the Summerland Review.