TORONTO, Feb. 1, 2017 /CNW/ - In a cynical decision to abandon electoral reform, the Trudeau government is showing a clear preference for easy majorities over keeping its election promises, Unifor National President Jerry Dias says.
"The Liberals broke a sacred and simple election promise today in a cynical move to keep winning undeserved majority governments," Dias said
Canadians showed a clear desire for electoral reform in the last election and through months of committee hearings, Dias said. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau promised that the 2015 election would be the last with first past the post voting.
"More than just voting for electoral reform, Canadians wanted an end to political games we have seen coming out of Ottawa for far too long," Dias said. "What they got today instead was just more of the same."
At consultations by the electoral reform committee last summer and into the fall, 88 per cent of witnesses across Canada called for proportional representation, Dias said, and showed the same preference in an online poll by the federal government.
"For the Trudeau government to now claim there is no clear preference among Canadian voters is simply wrong," Dias said. "The people of Canada have spoken, and the prime minister needs to listen."
Unifor is Canada's largest union in the private sector, representing more than 310,000 workers. It was formed Labour Day weekend 2013 when the Canadian Auto Workers and the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers union merged.
SOURCE Unifor
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please contact Unifor Communications National Representative Stuart Laidlaw at [email protected] or (cell) 647-385-4054.
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