An open letter to MP Maryam Monsef

Dear Maryam Monsef, I am extremely frustrated and disappointed in your office and government for giving up the promise of electoral reform. I voted for your party and encouraged family members to vote for electoral reform as it is a needed change for our government. In the words of Nathan Cullen, you have “spit in our face” and it will be remembered when the next voting season comes along.

Please petition the Prime Minister to reverse this decision immediately and get back to work on keeping your promises. More embarrassing for the Peterborough region however, is that you were supposed to be the Minister of Democratic Institutions given the specific job of finding the alternative voting system (which there are several viable options). In addition, you were replaced on January 10, 2017 and this broken promise was not announced until February 1, 2017 when Prime Minister Trudeau and yourself were nowhere to be found in the legislature.

This is extremely embarrassing for the riding of Peterborough. Could you please tell our citizens how you could possibly do better with the remainder of your term? More importantly, why was the decision enacted in the first place, simply as a political tool to ensure you earned a majority? Sadly, if this can’t be fixed you and your government have done a serious disservice to our region and country.

In addition, in this global political situation, giving the opposition plenty of ammunition regarding “broken promises” will surely result in a failed re-election and your other promises that I also believed in, being dismantled. My faith in your government has been replaced with cynicism that will be hard to replace with empty promises of a stronger and more democratic society.