Liberal government rescinds commitment for alternative electoral system
In a controversial decision which has already upturned Parliament Hill, the Liberal government announced last week that, due to a failing consensus on an alternative electoral system, the Liberal government will no longer pursue a replacement for Canada’s first-past-the-post (FPTP) system.
The decision was made in a new mandate letter issued to Minister of Democratic Institutions Karina Gould. In the letter, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stated that, “A clear preference for a new electoral system, let alone a consensus, has not emerged,” and that without a clear preference, “A referendum would not be in Canada’s interest.”
On recommendation from Prime Minister Trudeau in his letter to Gould, concerns over Canadian elections should instead be focused on security from cyberattacks and foreign meddling rather than implementing an overhaul of the current system.
Resolution to abandon electoral reform comes after the Liberal government’s successful election campaign which saw then-candidate Trudeau vow to ensure that 2015 would be the last election ever held under the FPTP voting system in Canada.
Despite the Liberal party’s continued assurance over their brief administration to commit to changing the electoral system, it appears that Canadians will have at least one more election under the current voting system.
Reluctance for introducing an alternative electoral system stems primarily from Prime Minister Trudeau’s assertion of a lack of consensus regarding the issue. While the government successfully implemented a special committee in the House of Commons last June—whose initiatives included inviting MPs to hold town hall meetings on electoral reform and issuing a nationwide online survey about the Canadian political system—the results were not strong enough to guarantee solidarity towards a common end.
The FPTP system, otherwise known as the “winner-takes-all” system, provides full governmental power to one party regardless of whether they have the majority of the vote behind their party. The candidate in each riding with the highest number of votes wins the right to represent that particular seat, even if they did not receive over 50 per cent of the vote.
Alternative voting methods, such as proportional representation, ranked ballots, mandatory voting, and online voting were all assessed by the Liberal party as potential improvements to the current system.Without much debate in the House of Commons over the dilemma, Prime Minister Trudeau determined that even a national referendum would be too “divisive” between politicians and Canadians, according to an article published by The National Post.
The Liberal party’s abandonment of electoral reform was received negatively by the House of Commons—particularly due to Prime Minister Trudeau’s unwillingness to make the announcement himself.
NDP MP Nathan Cullen labelled the move, “One of the most cynical displays of self-serving politics this government has yet to engage in,” according to an article published by CBC News.
Cullen claimed that Prime Minister Trudeau would pay a “political price” for rescinding his commitment. Cullen’s dissent was echoed by NDP leader Tom Mulcair, who similarly called the decision a “Massive political deception.”
Throughout the country, irate Canadians protested the Liberal government’s decision to back out of their electoral reform promise. The nation’s capital saw more than 100 people protest on Parliament Hill, while other cities across Canada, including Guelph, held demonstrations outside city halls in response to the Liberal party’s decision.
Photo by Clock via CC 2.0.