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In his last missive, Cullen proposed the striking of a special House committee that would divvy up seats according to each party’s share of the popular vote in the last election, which would not only give both the Bloc Quebecois and the Green Party a spot at the table, but it would also require the Liberals to give up the majority.

Monsef has yet to reply, but that hasn’t stopped Cullen from expanding on his original plan.

He’s now calling for the creation of a “citizen’s working group” to work concurrently with – albeit independent from – the committee to “determine the principles that a made-in-Canada revamped electoral system should embody.”

The group, he says, “should be chaired by an individual of eminent and strong public standing,” and should have “strong representation from historically disengaged and disenfranchised groups, as well as those presently underrepresented within our political system,” including “women, youth, indigenous people and those living in poverty.”

While MPs would concentrate on the “technical aspect” of electoral reform, the citizens’ group would focus its efforts on the principles of the new system, which it would report back to the committee before the House rises in June.

Despite her apparent disinterest in his initial proposition, Monsef might want to keep an open mind when considering Cullen’s latest suggestion.

At the very least, it might give her temporary cover from the Conservatives’ ongoing efforts to get the government to commit to putting any proposed changes to a referendum.