Democratic Institutions Minister Monsef strikes conciliatory tone at committee
OTTAWA — Democratic Institutions Minister Maryam Monsef says any change to the way Canadians vote in federal elections must have broad support nationwide, but she remains unconvinced that holding a referendum is the best way to get it.
“Referenda do not easily lend themselves to effectively deciding complex issues,” Monsef said Wednesday as she appeared as the first witness before the House of Commons special committee on electoral reform.
“They can and have often led to deep divisions within Canadian and other societies, divisions which have not been easily healed.”
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau promised last year as Liberal leader that the 2015 federal election would be the last one conducted under the first-past-the-post voting system — a commitment later repeated in the speech from the throne.