Lots of talk, little action on electoral reform

OTTAWA — As Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tried to reassure people that his government remains committed to electoral reform, a special committee of MPs voted unanimously Thursday to ask Democratic Institutions Minister Maryam Monsef for summaries of her crosscountry consultations on changing Canada’s voting system.

Last Friday marked the deadline for MPs and the public to send in reports to the committee on electoral reform.

Though she submitted a report in her capacity as an MP on seven town halls held in her Peterborough, Ont., riding, Monsef didn’t not include any insights from the almost 40 town halls she has hosted as minister.

So far, Monsef has travelled to every province and territory. Similar gathering are due to take place this month, including in Calgary and Victoria, her office said.

Nathan Cullen, the MP who made the motion, said Thursday it was “ironic” Monsef hadn’t shared those findings, since she has been vocal in encouraging participation from the public.

“It’s like the agriculture minister refusing to eat Canadian wheat.”

Monsef’s office said she never agreed to share data from town halls other than those in her riding.

Press secretary Jean-Bruno Villeneuve said last week’s deadline did not apply to the minister, and “at no point in time was there a requirement for her to file to the committee.”

The special committee members are trying to meet their own tight deadline of Dec. 1 to provide recommendations to the government. This means they need to finish one or two weeks before that so everything can be translated.

The committee recently spent about three weeks touring constituencies across the country, trying to gauge support for electoral reform and asking people what type of voting system they would prefer if a change is made.

Cullen said asking Monsef to table a “summary of her public consultations” would signal the government is ready to go ahead on reform.

“In light of Mr. Trudeau’s comments from yesterday I’d have thought they’d be crawling over the table to get her to committee, certainly to reassure the Canadians,” he said.

Though the motion didn’t ask Monsef to appear, MP Scott Reid suggested the Conservatives, at least, would welcome an opportunity to ask questions about the timing of potential legislation.