{"id":69881,"date":"2017-02-07T23:29:35","date_gmt":"2017-02-07T23:29:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/usa.timesofnews.com\/with-electoral-reform-off-the-table-minister-defends-first-past-the-post.html"},"modified":"2017-02-07T23:29:35","modified_gmt":"2017-02-07T23:29:35","slug":"with-electoral-reform-off-the-table-minister-defends-first-past-the-post","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usa.timesofnews.com\/breaking-news\/political\/with-electoral-reform-off-the-table-minister-defends-first-past-the-post.html","title":{"rendered":"With electoral reform off the table, minister defends first-past-the-post"},"content":{"rendered":"

Seven months after her predecessor described the current electoral system as “antiquated,” and one week after the Liberal government abandoned its pursuit of reform, the new minister of democratic institutions defended first-past-the-post during an appearance before a House of Commons committee.<\/p>\n

“The first-past-the-post system may not be perfect\u00a0\u2014 no electoral system is,” Karina Gould said Tuesday during an appearance before the procedure and House affairs committee.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“But it has served this country for 150 years and advances a number of democratic values that Canadians hold dear, such as strong local representation, stability and accountability.”<\/p>\n

The decision to abandon the Liberal Party’s commitment to implement a new electoral system was “difficult” but “responsible,” Gould said, citing a lack of consensus around the options.<\/p>\n

Gould defends electoral status quo<\/strong>0:16<\/p>\n

Last July, while appearing before a special committee on electoral reform, Gould’s predecessor\u00a0was notably more critical in her review of first-past-the-post.<\/p>\n

“Some have pointed out that Canada is a mature, successful democracy whose citizens enjoy a high standard of living and a level of political freedom that is the envy of the world. They question why we would consider changing such a successful democracy,” Maryam Monsef said.<\/p>\n

“Although I accept the premise of that thought, I do not agree with the conclusion. Simply pointing out that something works is not a reason not to try to make it better. First-past-the-post is an antiquated system designed to meet the realities of 19th-century Canada and not designed to operate within our multi-party democracy.<\/p>\n