HUGHES: Leaders don't break promises . . .

HUGHES: Leaders don't break promises . . .

Postby Oscar » Wed Apr 05, 2017 8:44 am

Leaders Don't Break Promises . . .

Published in Wadena News on February 20, 2017

According to a Statistics Canada survey commissioned after the Liberal Party's win in the October 2015 election, more than a million additional young Canadians cast a ballot in this election when compared to the previous election held in 2011 and that the number of voters aged 18 to 24 increased from 55 per cent to 67 per cent. (More young people voted in 2015 federal election than in 2011, [ http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/ ... -1.3458323 ] CBC February 22, 2016)

Many of those young people were first-time voters; they believed that Mr. Trudeau was different from previous politicians; and that, according to his election campaign promise, Canada would (like 100 or more other countries on the Planet) finally abandon the archaic and unfair first-past-the-post (FPTP) voting system – that 2015 would be the last time FPTP would ever be used to elect Canada's decision-makers and a more fair, 'make-every-vote-count' system would be adopted.

However, on February 1, 2017, Mr. Trudeau did a 'backward' flip on this promise, abandoned his believers and, after the millions of votes which won him the election and after all of the cross-country consultations, town halls, letters, phone calls and petitions, pulled the plug on reforming our voting system, fearing other systems would allow 'radical' parties to join in future elections.

What a terrible missed opportunity! What a disincentive for young people to vote – will they ever believe any future politician or participate in any future elections?

There remains a very active online e-petition, open for signature until March 2, 2017, calling on the Government of Canada to "immediately, declare its on-going commitment to ensuring the 2015 election be the last Federal Canadian election under the First Past The Post system." (See e-616 (Electoral system) - [ https://petitions.parl.gc.ca/en/Petitio ... tion=e-616 ].

Can we convince Prime Minister Trudeau that he needs re-establish our faith in him, stand behind his promise for Electoral Reform and reverse this decision before the government's self-imposed deadline in May 2017?

Elaine Hughes
Quill Plains (Wynyard) Chapter
Council of Canadians
ARCHERWILL, SK S0E 0B0
Oscar
Site Admin
 
Posts: 9079
Joined: Wed May 03, 2006 3:23 pm

Return to 2016 - Canada's ELECTORAL REFORM BEGINS!

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 5 guests

cron