Liberal electoral reform survey derided as manipulative, simplistic
OTTAWA — Days after complaining that an all-party committee didn’t recommend a specific alternative to Canada’s voting system, the Trudeau government launched Monday an online interactive survey on electoral reform — which doesn’t ask about specific voting models.
The new online portal, called MyDemocracy.ca, was immediately criticized by opposition parties as an attempt to either steer public opinion towards Justin Trudeau’s once-preferred voting system — ranked balloting — or to produce an unclear result that would justify abandoning the prime minister’s promise that the 2015 federal election would be the last conducted under first-past-the-post.
It also spawned a Twitter hashtag “#rejectedERQs,” where thousands mocked the federal survey with their own proposed questions, such as “Would you like to keep the status quo OR be a little ungrateful brat?” and “Would you prefer the Liberals just admit they lied or dick you around with a nonsensical survey and pretend they care?”
But Democratic Institutions Minister Maryam Monsef insisted MyDemocracy.ca is a “new, engaging initiative that will allow all Canadians to have an opportunity to have a say in this conversation.”