Close X
Friday, November 15, 2024
ADVT 
National

Maryam Monsef Won't Commit To Electoral Reform Referendum, Tories Push For Vote

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 09 Dec, 2015 12:32 PM
  • Maryam Monsef Won't Commit To Electoral Reform Referendum, Tories Push For Vote
OTTAWA — The Conservatives are pushing the Trudeau government to promise a referendum to consult Canadians on any proposal to overhaul the electoral system.
 
But Democratic Institutions Minister Maryam Monsef is refusing to make that commitment.
 
Monsef says she doesn't want to "prejudice" the outcome of an all-party committee that will be set up early in the new year to examine alternatives to the current first-past-the-post system, in which a party that wins less than 40 per cent of the popular vote routinely winds up with the majority of seats in the House of Commons.
 
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has promised that the Oct. 19 election would be the last under first-past-the-post, changing the system so the distribution of Commons seats more accurately reflects each party's share of the popular vote.
 
Trudeau's stated personal preference would be to replace it with a preferential ballot, in which voters rank their first, second and subsequent choices; but he's also promised that the committee will look at other options, including various models of proportional representation.
 
The Conservatives stand to lose the most under a ranked ballot system so it's little surprise they're pushing for a referendum — a route that's proved the undoing of various provincial efforts to reform their electoral systems.
 
 
Under pressure Tuesday to promise a Canada-wide vote, Monsef told the Commons that the government is committed to "an open and robust process of consultation" conducted by an all-party committee.
 
"I will not prejudice the outcome of that consultation process by committing to a referendum," she said.
 
That sparked a fiery riposte from Conservative MP Scott Reid.
 
"Heaven forfend that she could ask the Canadian people what they think in a referendum," he said.
 
"Is she really asserting that Canadian people are incapable of deciding in a referendum how they should be governed and how our elections should take place, the same (kind of consultation done) with the people of British Columbia, of Prince Edward Island, of Ontario, of New Zealand or of the United Kingdom?
 
"Are Canadians too immature to handle a referendum on this subject?"

MORE National ARTICLES

Federal Court Says Judge Off All Cases Pending Review Of Sex Assault Trial

The court decided earlier this month that Justice Robin Camp would not be handling cases involving sexual issues, pending a review.

Federal Court Says Judge Off All Cases Pending Review Of Sex Assault Trial

Maple Leaf Foods Cutting More Than 400 Jobs In Move To Streamline

Maple Leaf Foods Cutting More Than 400 Jobs In Move To Streamline
TORONTO — Maple Leaf Foods (TSX:MFI) is cutting more than 400 salaried jobs in a move to cut costs and streamline the organization.

Maple Leaf Foods Cutting More Than 400 Jobs In Move To Streamline

Cargo Ship Resumes Southbound Journey After Losing Power Off Haida Gwaii

Transport Canada says the MV North Star is once again en route to Tacoma, Wash.

Cargo Ship Resumes Southbound Journey After Losing Power Off Haida Gwaii

Katelynn Sampson Inquest Expected To Hear From Aboriginal Child Welfare Agency

Katelynn Sampson Inquest Expected To Hear From Aboriginal Child Welfare Agency
TORONTO — The inquest into the death of a seven-year-old Toronto girl killed by her legal guardians is expected to hear from the city's aboriginal child welfare agency.

Katelynn Sampson Inquest Expected To Hear From Aboriginal Child Welfare Agency

B.C.'s Defence In Wrongful-Imprisonment Case Embarrassing And Ironic: Lawyers

B.C.'s Defence In Wrongful-Imprisonment Case Embarrassing And Ironic: Lawyers
Ivan Henry has sued the province, the federal government and the City of Vancouver after his 2010 acquittal on 10 counts of sexual assault — 27 years after he was originally convicted.

B.C.'s Defence In Wrongful-Imprisonment Case Embarrassing And Ironic: Lawyers

Strain Of E. Coli Tied To Costco Chicken Salad Is More Dangerous Than Recent Chipotle Outbreak

Health officials urged people who bought chicken salad at any U.S. Costco store on or before Friday to throw it away, even if no one has gotten sick.

Strain Of E. Coli Tied To Costco Chicken Salad Is More Dangerous Than Recent Chipotle Outbreak