On Parliament Hill

During the last campaign, the Liberals made it quite clear that they wanted Canada’s 2015 election to be the last under the current first-past-the-post electoral system. Now, we’re getting a glimpse of how the new Liberal government is planning to change our democracy.

The Liberals have ruled out letting Canadians have their voices heard through a referendum. Instead they insist that a small parliamentary committee is sufficient to decide how we elect our Members of Parliament. They also maintain that town hall meetings can somehow replace a national referendum. Even if that were the case, assuming the government held hour-long town hall meetings for 100 people at a time, it would take 30 years of ‘round-the-clock meetings to talk to every voting-age Canadian.

Through a referendum, we could consult every one of the 26 million voting-age Canadians for their views simultaneously. There is absolutely no substitute for a referendum when it comes to obtaining the consent of Canadians, and if Mr. Trudeau wants to change the rules of Canada’s democracy, every Canadian must have a say.

As the leader of one of the most stable and admired democracies in the world he should understand that any change to what our vote means can only be made with the consent of the people. All the people.

Every Canadian deserves to say “yes” or “no” and that’s what the Conservative Party will continue to push for.