10.19.2016 12:44 PM

Sometimes, you can’t win

The Opposition and the media (and me) hammer Trudeau’s government for the electoral reform stuff, and we demand he rethink it.

So Trudeau rethinks it, and the Opposition and the media (but not me) hammer him for breaking a promise.

Sometimes, in this business, you just can’t win.  But I give the guy credit for doing the right thing.

8 Comments

  1. Gord Drimmie says:

    This should never have been a topic of discussion – pre-election; during the election; or post-election. A colossal waste of time and energy and divisiveness could have been avoided. And I’m not convinced he has re-thought it – he may just be testing the water. We’ll see.

  2. Vancouverois says:

    ? The second link doesn’t seem to lead anywhere. Did you forget to put in the href address?

    In any case, the electoral “reform” promise is one JT would do very well to drop. We’re already seeing what happens when people begin to doubt the system in the States; it would be a disaster for him to try to force a change in the very way our votes are counted without first getting the people’s consent in a national referendum.

    I just wish they’d realized that before wasting so much money and time on the ridiculous “electoral reform” committee. (But then, given its performance, it looks like it was intended to fail anyway…)

  3. BlueGritr says:

    Smart move on Justin’s part, pivoting on electoral reform. Let’s face it, on first past the post, the Liberals would clean up, were an election held today. Yes, I know the next federal election won’t be held until 2019, but even then, they’re going to run the table against the hapless Conservatives and New Democrats. So why change a good (electoral) thing?

  4. Vian Andrews says:

    My experience: sometimes you WON’T win. Had to get that through my thickly laminates skull.

  5. Kelly says:

    Phony electoral system produces phony majority built on phony promises made by a now obvious phony. Over and over again Canadians get shafted by the Liberals. Still waiting on childcare. Still waiting on eliminating child poverty . . . and and on it goes. But we’re stuck. Progressives will just have to work towards a liberal minority with the NDP holding the balance of power. We only have Medicare and CPP today because we can couple of those in the 1960s.

  6. Maps Onburt says:

    No issue with him backtracking on this one… there would have been pandamonium at the Supreme’s if he’d pushed something through without a referendum during the next election. It NEVER made sense as you’ve pointed out. My issue is with his statement saying essentially because everyone is happy with his Liberal government which was given a majority, he doesn’t see a reason to change it anymore. I think he forget to check with Butts before he spoke on this topic.

  7. Matt says:

    I’m Ok with him breaking this promise, as the Liberals seemed determined to push ahead without a national referendum.

    HOWEVER, Trudeau’s quote in the CTV story about this just reeks of Liberal arrogance:

    http://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/pm-backs-away-from-electoral-reform-pledge-1.3122167

    “We’re not going to prejudge that it’s necessary,” Trudeau told Le Devoir. The prime minister suggested Canadians are happier with the existing system now that Stephen Harper is out of office. “With the current system, they now have a government with which they’re happier. And the need to change the electoral system is less compelling.”

    Get that?

    The Natural Governing Party has been returned to power, so there is no longer a need to change the electoral system. Has to be changed when the Conservatives win, but it’s A-OK when the Liberals win.

    Anyone wanna bet if they were to lose in 2019 they’ll start demanding electoral reform again?

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