Liberal Voters - Tell your Liberal MP to keep the Promise!

Did you vote Liberal in 2015 and/or support the Liberal Party? We need your help now!

In the last federal election, the Liberals promised that 2015 was the last election using first-past-the-post and to make every vote count in 2019. The NDP and Green Party also ran on this promise, giving the government a strong mandate to proceed.

The Liberal MPs need to hear specifically from Canadians who care about this legacy promise and identify with any of the following:

- you voted Liberal in 2015
- you have volunteered in some way to help get a Liberal MP elected
- you ...

Did you vote Liberal in 2015 and/or support the Liberal Party? We need your help now!

In the last federal election, the Liberals promised that 2015 was the last election using first-past-the-post and to make every vote count in 2019. The NDP and Green Party also ran on this promise, giving the government a strong mandate to proceed.

The Liberal MPs need to hear specifically from Canadians who care about this legacy promise and identify with any of the following:

- you voted Liberal in 2015
- you have volunteered in some way to help get a Liberal MP elected
- you are a Liberal member
- you have donated to the Liberals

Liberal voters and particularly those who are more engaged in politics than most Canadians - who influence others, who volunteer at election time, who donate and make campaigns happen - can influence Liberal MPs at this critical juncture. But we must act now.

Please personalize and send a letter to your Liberal MP now telling him/her that your future support may depend on keeping the promise to Make Every Vote Count.

On December 1, the all-party committee on electoral reform (ERRE) released its findings showing that almost 90% of the experts and the public who participated recommended proportional recommendation.

Fair Vote Canada's submission to ERRE recommended three great made-in-Canada proportional models, all of which are outlined in the ERRE's report.

As Canada's 14th report, the solutions are there. The timeline is realistic. It's time for leadership. No referendum is required.

Recently, there have been alarming signs the Liberal government may be backing away from its promise. A few:

the five Liberals on the ERRE committee issuing a "supplementary" report recommending the Liberals break their campaign promise to Canadians, calling it "rushed" and "radical"
the Liberal Chair of the ERRE committee, when asked about keeping the promise, stating that the purpose of election promises is to "engage voters"
the Liberal Chair of the ERRE committee on the CBC radio repeating PR myths and suggesting that perhaps a token amount of proportionality is possible - token enough to ensure that false majorities will continue as a goal

Proportional representation means putting voters first. It means political diversity in every region. It means giving the nine million voters in Canada who elected no-one in 2015 a voice.

PR means a voting system that embraces equality of opportunity, diversity, inclusiveness and fairness - key Liberal values.

The first Liberal Party promise to implement proportional representation followed by an all-party committee was in 1921.

In 1979 Pierre Trudeau supported proportional representation but his own caucus MPs said no. This pattern repeats itself time and again, but together we can make the difference this time!

Today, we have the evidence, we have the models, and most importantly we have a clear promise made to Canadians. This promise means a lot to many Canadians and brought new and progressive voters to the Liberals in 2015 as the proponents of Real Change.

As a Liberal voter, volunteer, member or donor, please take a moment today to tell your Liberal MP why you support PR, and that breaking this promise may affect your support for the Liberal Party in 2019.

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Liberal Voters: Email your Liberal MP about PR

Liberal MPs need to hear from those who voted Liberal in 2015, are members, have volunteered for or donated to the Liberal Party. Please email your Liberal MP with a personalized messsage, tell him/her how you have supported the Liberals in the past and what effect it might have on your future support if such a firm commitment is not kept. If you do not have a Liberal MP, please select Justin Trudeau and modify the letter accordingly.

1. Find your Member

2. Enter your details

Name

Email

Postal Code

3. Make your email count

Subject:

I am writing to you as a constituent and supporter of the Liberal Party.

The Liberal Party promise to ensure that 2015 was the last election using first-past-the-post and to Make Every Vote Count in 2019 are important promises to me. These were important promises to many Canadians who voted Liberal, and to many of us who volunteered, donated and encouraged others to vote Liberal.

Of the 105 policies in the Liberal Platform at www.liberal.ca/realchange, grassroots Liberals of their own accord rated Electoral Reform the fourth highest ranked and the fifth most popular in terms of votes.  No other policy has a better combination of benchmarks.

Only a proportional system - where 30% of the vote equals 30% of the seats - can fulfill the promise to make every vote count.

When the Justin Trudeau announced this platform promise he said, "Government is only as good as the advice it gets. It is only effective when it acts on good advice. So one of the principles of our comprehensive plan will be a commitment to evidence-based policy."

During the recent five month consultation by the House of Commons Special Committee on Electoral Reform, almost 90% of the experts who testified before the committee supported PR. Only 29% thought a referendum was the way to go.

Proportional representation embodies the core Liberal values of equality of opportunity for every voter, diversity and inclusiveness. When 30% of the vote equals 30% of the seats voters get a fair outcome.

There are three excellent, made-in-Canada proportional models which maintain local representation in the report of the all-party committee on electoral reform: Rural-Urban Proportional, Mixed Member Proportional and Single Transferable Vote.

The Chief Electoral Officer has confirmed that timeline the Liberal Party campaigned on to implement one of these options is realistic.

This is an opportunity to deliver Real Change.

Promises matter. We were proud when you made this promise.

Delivering on this important promise will require leadership, from you and from the Liberal Party.  All the pieces are in place, no referendum is required.  All it takes is leadership.

If the Liberals fail to deliver on this promise for 2019 in a meaningful way I will reconsider my support for the Liberal Party in the next election.

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