“Once again, the Minister appears to be undercutting the work of the Electoral Reform Committee,� said Nathan Cullen who serves as the NDP Critic for Democratic reform and also sits on the Committee. “We are working hard to come to a consensus proposal, but the Minister is forging ahead before we have even made our recommendation. This is the epitome of bad faith from the government.�
A recent media report indicates that the government plans to send a postcard to every household in Canada, seeking their response to various survey questions on our voting system. It is unclear how the questions will be framed but the Minister’s office has admitted that they will not ask about specific options for electoral reform.
“Nearly nine out of ten expert witnesses, and the vast majority of Canadians who have participated in consultations, all recommend moving towards a fair voting system which is proportional,� said Alexandre Boulerice, NDP Deputy Critic for Democratic Reform and also sits on the Committee. “Are Liberals preparing to use these vague surveys to justify imposing their own preference because they don’t like what they’ve heard from Canadians?�
Last week, Fair Vote Canada tabulated the testiony of expert witnesses heard by the Committee and found that 87% recommended Proportional Representation, which Minister Monsef has been reluctant to support. Another analysis found that of the 428 Canadian who took part in the Committee’s open-mic town halls, 88% expressed support for a voting system which is proportional.
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http://www.ndp.ca/news/liberals-not-respecting-own-process-electoral-reform
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NDP Critic for Canadian Heritage Peter Julian issued the following statement:
"It has come to our attention that a consultant for a federally funded anti-racism project has a disturbing track record of spewing hate speech online against Jewish and francophone communities. This is completely unacceptable. We call on the Minister of Heritage to take drastic action and terminate his contract.
NDP Heritage Critic Peter Julian issued the following statement:
“Today’s announcement by Hockey Canada is another attempt to delay the important and urgent work to deal with the toxic culture in this organization. While a former Supreme Court Justice is a credible appointment to conduct the review into Hockey Canada, this won’t be the first time the organization undergoes this process.
NDP critic for Canadian Heritage, Peter Julian, made the following statement:
“Canadians are horrified by the incidents of sexual assault and by what they’re hearing from Hockey Canada. They are left with many questions about how this toxic culture is allowed to persist in our sports organizations and what the government is actually doing to ensure this doesn’t happen again.