Liberals must implement committee recommendation on proportional representation

OTTAWA, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - Dec. 1, 2016) - Canada's unions are calling on the Liberal government to keep its election promise on electoral reform and introduce legislation for a made-in-Canada proportional representation voting system.

The Special Committee on Electoral Reform's report, issued today, recommends a proportional representation voting system that will make every vote count.

"The Committee has heard from Canadians across the country that every vote should count and that no party should win a majority of seats without a majority of votes," said CLC President Hassan Yussuff.

"There is very clearly popular consensus in favour of proportional representation and we are calling on the government to respect that consensus and move ahead with implementation in time for the next federal election," he added.

In their election platform, the Liberal party committed to making the 2015 election the last under a first-past-the-post-system. They also committed to introducing legislation on electoral reform within 18 months of forming government.

"Canadians are tired of having to vote against what they don't want, instead of voting for what they do want. We commend the members of this all-party committee for having worked together on this recommendation that reflects what Canadians want out of their voting system," said Yussuff.