Renovating Canada's Constitutional Architecture: An Examination of the Government's Democratic Reform Initiatives

Abstract

The current federal government was elected on a platform promising significant changes to Canada’s democratic institutions. Among several other reform proposals, the Liberals promised that “2015 will be the last federal election conducted under the first-past-the-post voting system.” To enact this proposal, a special all-party parliamentary committee would be struck to examine options for reform and “within 18 months of forming government,” the Liberals would “bring forward legislation to enact electoral reform.” After the Liberals won the election, Maryam Monsef was appointed as Minister of Democratic Institutions. Her mandate letter from the Prime Minister confirmed the government’s plans to move forward with electoral reform.