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Conservatives greeted most of the speech from the throne with equanimity. To the victor the spoils and David Johnston merely recited a pro forma list of Liberal campaign promises.

But when the Governor General mentioned electoral reform, a chill will have run along the Conservative side of the Senate looking for a spine to run down.

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The government will take actions to ensure the 2015 general election was the last conducted under the first-past-the-post voting system, Johnston said.

The repeated commitment to look at the prospect of electoral reform, specifically use of a preferential ballot system, represents an existential threat to the Conservative Party of Canada. It’s a sleeper issue that could dramatically change the complexion of politics in this country.

Justin Trudeau has made no secret of the fact that he wants to change the way we elect governments in Canada.

He has promised to bring in electoral reform legislation within 18 months of forming government, with preferential balloting being his personal preference.