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OTTAWA — As a special committee prepares recommendations for electoral reforms, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau already has a preference, says the minister he put in charge of the process.

The revelation by Democratic Institutions Minister Maryam Monsef during a town-hall meeting in Victoria last Thursday adds fuel to opposition fears the Liberals will try to push a system that favours their electoral prospects.

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“Even though the prime minister has a preference, even though I am arriving at a preference for a specific system with certain elements, we’re not going to move ahead unless we have broad support from Canadians,” Monsef said.

“So, yes, we want change, but we’re not going to ram it through, because that’s just a political nightmare and anti-democratic.”

The comments set alarm bells ringing for Nathan Cullen, the New Democratic Party’s democratic reform critic.

“I do think they still pin their hopes on a ranked ballot, which — I don’t know how they spin it, because it’s so obviously in their own political favour. It’d be rigging the system,” he said Wednesday.