Petition Calls on Singh and Trudeau to Pass Electoral Reform before Deal

A widely circulated petition has called on Justin Trudeau and Jagmeet Singh to pass a commitment towards reforming the first-past-the-post system before entering into any co-governing alliance.

"Media reports this week in Maclean's and La Presse tell us that Jagmeet Singh and Justin Trudeau are negotiating a deal. A deal that could mean that the NDP promises to vote confidence for Justin Trudeau's government for three years, in exchange for action on crucial issues," reads the petition. "This is the moment where the rubber meets the road for electoral reform. A commitment to progress on electoral reform is within our reach! In the last Parliament, Liberal MPs on the Procedure and House Affairs Committee voted YES to a study of a National Citizens' Assembly on Electoral Reform. The recommendation from the study would have gone to a vote of the whole Parliament. When Trudeau called a snap election, that commitment vanished."

The petition calls on any deal between the Liberals and the NDP to include a renewed commitment for a next step towards a National Citizens' Assembly on Electoral Reform.

"We know our leaders can do it. Multi-party collaboration on electoral reform is gaining steam across the country."

This is not the first instance of major parties coming together on the subject. When the Yukon election delivered a minority government this year, the Yukon Liberal Party negotiated a Confidence and Supply deal with the Yukon NDP that included a commitment to work towards electoral reform. Likewise, in Prince Edward Island, a majority of MLAs—including the PEI Liberal Party leader —voted in favour of a Green Party motion to convene a PEI Citizens' Assembly on implementing Proportional Representation.