The Electoral Reform Committee released a final report today on adopting a proportional voting system while also recommending a referendum.
“Today, we made history and cleared a path toward proportional representation and making every vote count,” says Skeena-Bulkley Valley MP and Vice Chair of the committee Nathan Cullen from Ottawa.
The committee held close to 50 meetings across the country with thousands of Canadians participating in the consultation process.
“Over the past four months, millions of people across the country, including at our six town halls in the riding, told us they want the numbers to match, they want who people vote for to mirror who gets to Ottawa to represent folks back home,” says Cullen.
Cullen, however, is worried the Liberals continue to back down from their promise after releasing a supplementary report calling a referendum radical.
“I’ve never seen a minister be so dismissive of the thousands of Canadians who put their hearts into this thing telling the government what they think. The government didn’t like what they head, so they tried to throw it in the trash.”
Cullen says a referendum could work if it’s done right.
The report says a referendum gives Canadians the final say instead of politicians, bus also says costs, misinformation and divisiveness can be downfalls.
Ahead of any referendum, the report indicates that the current system and a complete design of an alternative system need to appear on the ballot.