FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Expulsion of Jody Wilson-Raybould and Jane Philpott a Symptom of Our Broken Electoral System
Recent polling has shown that the Conservative Party of Canada could win a majority government with 37% of the vote. Now, one of the strongest advocates for proportional representation in the Liberal Party has been given the boot.
In her letter to Liberal MPs, Jody Wilson-Raybould reminded her colleagues of the promise of “real change” they campaigned on — including proportional representation.
The response from Justin Trudeau and most of the Liberal MPs was similar in its high-handedness to their response to the findings of the special parliamentary committee on electoral reform.
Justin Trudeau did not even wait for the caucus to vote. As he did on electoral reform (“It was my choice to make”), he made the unilateral decision to expel the two former Cabinet Ministers from caucus.
The MPs lined up behind him, – echoing tired talking points that put the party first.
“If we had proportional representation, scandals involving interference by the Prime Minister’s office in a prosecution probably wouldn’t have happened in the first place,“ says Fair Vote Canada’s President, Réal Lavergne.
“Proportional representation means that parties cooperate and make important decisions together — – instead of government by one man and his apparatchiks. With proportional representation, a governing coalition would be more diverse. Voters could be more confident that decisions aren’t made for the benefit of one party alone.”
In this year’s election, Fair Vote Canada is aiming to make proportional representation an issue across Canada, while holding the government to account for its broken promise about reforming our electoral system. This October, we’re asking Canadians to elect MPs who will put proportional representation back on the table.
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