Leadnow reacts to Trudeau government ‘betrayal’ on
Toronto, Ontario - Feb 1st, 2017. Today, the Minister of Democratic Institutions, Karina Gould, announced that the Liberal government is abandoning their promise to reform Canada’s electoral system before the 2019 federal election.
Katelynn Northam, Campaign Lead on electoral reform with Leadnow, made the following statement in response.
“We’re shocked and disappointed that the government has broken their promise to make 2015 the last unfair election. If Trudeau is willing to betray voters on his signature election promise, what does that mean for his other commitments?”
“This is a cynical move from the Liberals. The voting reform committee made a clear recommendation for a proportional representation system, after extensive consultations with experts and the public. When the government didn’t get the answer they wanted, they threw the committee under the bus, launched an outrageous survey explicitly designed to create confusion, and ultimately betrayed voters by abandoning their promise.
“We aren’t backing down. In fact, the rise of Trump’s hateful politics suggest we need voting reform now more than ever. A Trump-style candidate could never win over a majority of Canadian voters -- but in our broken first-past-the-post system, a hateful candidate could win with as little as 35% of the vote.”
“The fight for proportional representation isn’t over. A majority of Canadians do want electoral reform, and we’ll keep fighting until we win.”
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About Leadnow: Leadnow is an independent, member-based organization that runs campaigns to build and defend a just, sustainable, and equitable Canada.
Katelynn Northam
Leadnow.ca campaigner
647 530 8882
[email protected]