On Parliament Hill

With the pressure mounting on the Liberals to respect democracy, the NDP moved a motion to create a special committee on electoral reform on which no party would possess a majority. After backroom discussions between the two parties, the Liberals agreed to support this motion. This backroom deal follows a tumultuous number of weeks for the Liberals trying to defend their indefensible plan to unilaterally change our democracy.

While at first glance this Liberal about-face may seem like a positive development, it still misses the most important legitimizing component: asking Canadians what they want directly in a national referendum. The Liberals have opted once again to keep Canadians out of the decision-making process, while paying lip service to the idea of consulting Canadians.

The Minister of Democratic Institutions, Maryam Monsef, says that this committee will determine what constitutes broad-based support for electoral reform. Minister Monsef could acquire that broad-based support she claims to be seeking by committing to a referendum, but instead she and Prime Minister Trudeau insist on doing things without Canadians’ input. A committee of parliamentarians, no matter the makeup, is not, and never will be, a substitute for all Canadians having their voices head directly in a referendum. This is the absolute best way to give legitimacy to any changes to our democracy.

The only reason the Liberal Government would not give Canadians a voice is if they don’t believe Canadians will support their proposal. This is alarming. There can be no other conclusion based on their words and deeds. If the Liberal Government truly cared what Canadians think, they would have announced their plans for a referendum a long time ago.

While the Liberals – and now the NDP too – believe that democracy can be changed by the experts or the elites without the consent of all Canadians, the Conservative Party will continue demanding that Canadians receive the say they deserve. Democracy belongs to all Canadians, whether the Liberals think so or not.