Liberals told to stick to their electoral reform promises

Local activists gathered outside the office of Hamilton West-Ancaster-Dundas MP Filomena Tassi Tuesday to remind the federal Liberal government of its campaign promise on electoral reform.

The visit was part of a national day of action called “Make Every Vote Count” that was facilitated by advocacy group Leadnow and saw protesters visit more than 50 MP offices across the country.

In Hamilton, a framed copy of the Liberals’ election promise on electoral reform was delivered to Tassi’s office.

“We are in favour of proportional representation,” said local organizer Heather Yoell in a media release.

“We need to get beyond the divide-andconquer politics of ‘first-past-the-post’ by making every vote count.”

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau pledged in the lead-up to the 2015 campaign that the fall election would be Canada’s last under first-past-the-post. Critics of first-past-the-post, which has governed Canada’s elections for 149 years, argue it skews the “popular vote,” meaning parties can form majority governments with less than 40 per cent of the vote.

Democratic Institutions Minister Maryam Monsef recently said she hopes to bring forward legislation early next year, which is the rough deadline for Elections Canada to prepare whatever the Liberals ultimately recommend.

She said she also wants to wait for the results of the government’s mydemocracy.ca survey, which is open until the end of December.

To prepare a new system by 2019, Elections Canada would need the Liberals to build a new electoral system, draft legislation, introduce a bill and shepherd it through the House of Commons and the Senate by about June.