LETTRE

MP William Amos on electoral reform changes

 

Our government strongly believes in the role of Parliament and in public consultation in examining the issue of electoral reform.  

We listened to Canadians. Our view has always been clear: major reforms to the electoral system should only be made if they have the broad support of Canadians.

Over the last year, our Government engaged in an unprecedented dialogue with Canadians about their democracy. I held well-attended town hall meetings in Chelsea and Wakefield, I met with many constituents, and I responded to a great deal of correspondence on this file. It is not my job to “fight” for a particular type of reform, although some urged me to do so. It is my job to listen to Pontiac’s voices in an even-handed manner and report back to the Minister of Democratic Institutions and the Prime Minister, so that our government could understand the range of views of the 110,000 people in this riding. That report is publicly available.

The diversity of views across Pontiac on how our electoral system should be changed is striking. There is no consensus in our riding as regards the preferability of a proportional representation system. Quite frankly, the levels of support for a PR system decline significantly in the north and west of Pontiac, where concerns about regional representation and the proliferation of “issue-based” and "extreme" political parties predominate.

Our government is committed to improving this country’s electoral system. We have already introduced legislation to repeal undemocratic elements of the previous government’s Fair Elections Act. I hope we can do even more to strengthen our democracy, including increasing transparency in political fundraising.

I understand your disappointment and others have expressed the same feeling. Please know that I am delivering this message directly to our Prime Minister

William Amos
MP Pontiac