House Electoral Reform Committee did fail us, so it’s time for government to decide

Referendums are rare in Canada and divisive and time is running out on electoral reform which should unite, not divide voters. But the Liberals also made a campaign promise. They could focus on a few less contentious reforms which would significantly strengthen our country's electoral system. Here they are.

It's not on: The Special House Electoral Committee failed to rise above petty mischief and partisanship. They blew their chance to make a difference and punted the issue back to the government, writes Jean Fournier. Bloc MP Luc Thériault, left, Conservative MP Scott Reid, Liberal MP and chair Francis Scarpaleggia, and NDP MP Nathan Cullen, pictured Dec. 1, 2016 at the National Press Theatre in Ottawa. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

Opinion

BY JEAN T. FOURNIER

January 9, 2017

OTTAWA—Prior to the 2015 election, the Liberal Party committed to having a new voting system in place before the next general election expected in 2019 and to convening an all-party parliamentary committee "to review a wide variety of possible reforms such as ranked ...

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