Electoral Reform Tour Pivots to Atlantic Canada

OTTAWA, Sept. 22, 2016 /CNW/ - Canada's Minister of Democratic Institutions, Maryam Monsef is in Atlantic Canada this week to kick off the next leg of the Federal electoral reform community dialogue tour.

Over the next ten days the Minister will stop in Charlottetown, Halifax, Moncton, Gander, and Happy Valley-Goose Bay. At each stop along the national tour, Minister Monsef is asking Canadians from all walks of life to get #EngagedinER through discussing the values and expectations they feel should be reflected in Canada's electoral system.

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. Venue and time information for public events can be found at Federal electoral reform community dialogue tour. 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.

Over the past week, the Minister met with Canadians in Thunder Bay, Toronto, Kitchener-Waterloo, Ottawa-Gatineau, Montreal, and Shawinigan. Throughout the tour the Minister has been reaching out to Canadians from groups that are traditionally underrepresented or that sometimes go unheard from in Canada's electoral processes.

Before the community dialogue in Thunder Bay, the Minister met with students from Confederation College to discuss engaging Indigenous peoples and youth in electoral reform.

In Toronto, the Minister joined an event hosted by Equal Voice Canada and the YWCA to discuss engaging women in politics. Following the event, the Minister met with student leaders from Ryerson University to discuss youth engagement in Canada's democratic institutions.

In Kitchener-Waterloo, the Minister joined in a collaborative town hall event organized by local Members of Parliament Bardish Chagger, Bryan May, Raj Saini and Marwan Tabbara. The House of Commons Special Committee on Electoral Reform has also invited all Members of Parliament to hold town hall consultations with their constituents and issue a report to the committee from each of the 338 ridings across Canada.

On September 15, 2016, the Minister marked the International Day of Democracy, leading a dialogue event in the national capital region and was joined by her Parliamentary Secretary Mark Holland, as well as local Members of Parliament Greg Fergus and David McGuinty.

Quotes

Canadians have a wealth of perspectives on how their electoral system can be improved and it is imperative that we have this dialogue before we pursue any specific changes. It is so encouraging to see the diversity of opinion and the strong convictions expressed by Canadians at every stop. I thank all who have participated in this discussion and want to remind Canadians that it is vital that they contribute their opinions in every way they can as the debates, votes and laws that result from our electoral processes affect all aspects of our daily lives.

-Honourable Maryam Monsef, Minister of Democratic Institutions

Quick Facts

• An all-party parliamentary committee has 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