‘ SINCERELY’ SORRY Monsef regrets vote reform outburst

• Prime Minister Justin Trudeau took another step back from his promise to overhaul Canada’s democracy Friday while the minister in charge of the file apologized in the House of Commons for incendiary comments she made the day before.

Democratic Institutions Minister Maryam Monsef expressed “deep regret” for angrily calling out the committee that was examining the issue, accusing its members of failing to properly carry out their responsibilities.

“I’d like to sincerely apologize to the members of this House, to Canadians and to the members of the special all-party committee on electoral reform,” she said during question period.

“In no way did I intend to imply that they didn’t work hard, that they didn’t put in the long hours, that they didn’t focus on the task at hand.”

During the 2015 campaign, Trudeau was emphatic: the October election would be the last in Canada to take place under the oftmaligned “first- past- thepost” system, which critics have long said doesn’t properly reflect the popular will of voters.

His own MPs on a special committee studying electoral reform have essentially urged him to abandon that pledge, and on Friday he appeared to be in the early stages of doing exactly that.

“Electoral reform is an issue that is important to me, it’s important to a whole bunch of Canadians across the country, ( but) it’s one that not every Canadian is involved and aware of, or passionate about,” Trudeau said.

The Liberals will mail postcards to every household directing t hem to government-run online consultations starting Monday. Trudeau said Canadians won’t be asked to choose from a list of systems, but instead to focus on what values they want to see reflected in their electoral system.