OTTAWA, Sept. 6, 2016 /CNW/ - Building on several productive stops in Canada's north, the Minister of Democratic Institutions, Maryam Monsef, continues her tour in Western Canada this week to promote a national dialogue on electoral reform.
The Western leg of the tour will see the Minister stop in four provinces in six days for multiple public events, MP town halls and important meetings with groups traditionally underrepresented in Canada's electoral process.
The Minister will be moving onto the next stop of her cross-country tour in British Columbia on September 7 and will return for an additional event in Victoria in October. Venue and time of events can be found at Federal electoral reform community dialogue tour.
All Canadians are invited to attend meetings or hold their own gatherings and share their ideas about the future of Canada's democracy either in person or online. For those not able to attend in person, many of the Minister's dialogue events are being broadcast online from the Canadian Democracy twitter account.
At each stop on the tour, the Minister is meeting with Canadians and asking them to openly share the values and expectations they feel should be reflected in Canada's electoral system. Participating in the national dialogue is vital as the debates, votes and laws that result from Canada's electoral process affect all aspects of the daily lives of Canadians.
The first stops in Iqaluit, Yellowknife and Whitehorse provided the Minister the opportunity to meet with Canadians from across the north and hear what they expect from the electoral process and the values it should reflect.
In Iqaluit, Minister Monsef kicked off the first national dialogue event before receiving a tour of the Nunavut Legislative Assembly.
In Yellowknife. the Minister held a dialogue followed by a roundtable discussion with young voters before attending a local town hall hosted by MP Michael McLeod. The Minister also met with the Chief Electoral Officer for the Northwest Territories.
The Minister continued engaging Canadians in Whitehorse, meeting with 150 engaged Yukoners as well as a high school civics class. She then joined MP Larry Bagnell for a local town hall to discuss the values that should inform changes to our electoral system.
Quotes
"This was a remarkably productive start to the national tour. It is clear Canadians across the North have a wealth of valuable thoughts and perspective on how we can strengthen our democracy. I especially appreciate having heard from the many different voices across the territories and what changes people in rural and remote areas would like to see. I look forward to continuing the national dialogue and again want to encourage individuals as well as groups and organizations across the country to get involved in helping shape the future of Canada's democracy."
-Honourable Maryam Monsef, Minister of Democratic Institutions
Quick Facts
- An all-party parliamentary committee has also been established to consult Canadians, study federal electoral reform and submit a report and recommendations to Parliament by December 1, 2016.
- Members of Parliament have been encouraged to hold their own discussions with their constituents.
- Additional details for the date, time and locations of events held with the Minister, Members of Parliament or other groups are available at Attend a Canadian federal electoral reform event, on the Canada.ca/democracy site.
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SOURCE Minister for Democratic Institutions
For further information (media only): Jean-Bruno Villeneuve, Press Secretary, Office of the Minister of Democratic Institutions, (613) 995-0238; Media Relations, Privy Council Office, 613-957-5420
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