Trudeau . . . 'another' broken promise!

[Oscar]

Feds’ electoral reform in doubt, pollsters say one broken promise won’t sink Liberals, but more could spell trouble

[ http://www.hilltimes.com/2016/12/05/ele ... L_CAMPAIGN)&goal=0_207adb2c89-46d4d8c0ce-90669285&mc_cid=46d4d8c0ce&mc_eid=65e9a66f14 ]

After six months of work and a $700,000 price tag, Democratic Minister Maryam Monsef said she was ‘disappointed’ in the House Electoral Reform Committee. She later apologized, but also said the will of Canadians is still unclear. Meanwhile, the government sent out more than 13 million postcards asking Canadians to participate in an online survey on electoral reform.

By LAURA RYCKEWAERT PUBLISHED : Monday, Dec. 5, 2016 12:00 AM

PARLIAMENT HILL—There are doubts the government will keep its election campaign promise to replace the first-past-the-post electoral system by 2019, but pollsters say one broken promise on electoral reform alone would unlikely sink the Liberal ship, however, more than one could be trouble down the road.

“If you’re looking at this through the political cost of inaction of breaking this promise, it’s probably one of the few that the government won’t feel too much pain over,” said David Coletto, CEO of Abacus Data, in an interview with The Hill Times.

“This is not a government-killing promise, by itself,” he said, as it’s an outspoken, but “small minority” who think major changes are needed.

The issue of electoral reform is one that’s “very difficult to get Canadians excited” and “passionate” about, he said.

“That being said, where I do see some risk for the government, in my view, is around the narrative that could develop that the government’s not keeping its promises, that this could be one of many to come … it might start a media narrative and a broader discussion about how the government can’t achieve its objectives and that becomes more risky or creates more vulnerability,” he said.

Mr. Coletto said if the government declared its commitment on electoral reform dead, he wouldn’t expect to see poll numbers drop.

Shachi Kurl, executive director at the Angus Reid Institute, said polling suggests that electoral reform is “hardly a top of mind issue” for Canadians.

“There are other issues that could have the potential to hurt this Liberal government much more than not making a change on electoral reform, that isn’t to say it might not hurt them in some circles” she said, but that’s a small subsect of the population.

A poll by Angus Reid published on Nov. 29, conducted online with 1,516 respondents, found that while 75 per cent wanted a referendum on any major changes to be held, about 66 per cent of respondents saw changing Canada’s voting system as a low priority. Asked to choose between first-past-the-post and four alternative voting systems, respondents were largely split. As well, 43 per cent said they strongly or moderately favoured keeping the current system, while 21 per cent said they didn’t care either way and 37 per cent moderately or strongly favoured change.

But Ms. Kurl cautioned ambivalence doesn’t always mean resistance, and it could simply be a situation where Canadians have a lot on their minds, including the economy, jobs, health care and security issues.

“Canadians are very divided on this issue as it stands … [but] there is a recognition of potential benefits of a change,” she said.

[Oscar]

Justin Trudeau's Election Promises: A Year Later, He's Kept More Than He's Broken

[ http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2016/10/18 ... 56158.html ]

October 19, 2016

EXCERPT:

PROMISES BROKEN

— Run deficits of less than $10 billion in each of the first three years of the mandate, still reducing the debt-to-GDP ratio each year and balancing the books in the final year. The Liberals' inaugural budget projects deficits for at least five years, totalling $113 billion, including almost $30 billion this year alone. The government hopes to lower the debt-to-GDP ratio over the course of the mandate.

— The tax break for middle-income earners was to be "revenue neutral," paid for by hiking taxes on the wealthiest one per cent. In fact, it will cost the federal treasury $1.2 billion a year.

— Reduce the small business tax rate to nine per cent from 11 per cent.

— Maintain funding level for the Canadian Armed Forces. Government pushed back $3.7 billion for new equipment to 2020.

— Immediately scrap the planned $44-billion purchase of F-35 stealth fighter jets, launch open and transparent competition to replace the current CF-18 fighter jets and reallocate the savings to the navy.

— Immediately invest $3 billion over four years to improve home care. This promise is now tied to negotiations with the provinces and territories on a new health accord which the government hopes to have in place next year.

— Cap how much can be claimed through the stock option deduction on annual gains higher than $100,000.

— Trudeau's verbal promise to "restore" door-to-door home mail delivery. The government is committed only to stopping any further reduction in home delivery while it conducts a review of Canada Post's operations.