Canada’s chief electoral officer has added his expert voice to those urging Ottawa to consider being more democratic when changing the voting system. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government should heed this sensible advice.

The Liberals have promised to dump the existing first-past-the-post election system and replace it with something better in time for the next vote in 2019. An all-party committee is now studying options for reform, with a final report due by Dec. 1.

Unfortunately, there’s no sign of consensus on this vitally important issue. To meet their self-imposed next-election deadline, there’s a real danger the Liberals will simply push though any changes they want using their parliamentary majority.

That kind of unilateral action would undermine public confidence in election reform and raise an unavoidable suspicion that the system was being rigged in the ruling party’s favour.

In his final report to Parliament before retiring, Chief Electoral Officer Marc Mayrand calls for greater cooperation. “I urge parliamentarians as much as possible to collaborate and seek a broad consensus when it comes to (election) changes,” he wrote. “Our democratic system will be best strengthened when amendments reflect the views of a large number of political participants.”

Mayrand cites New Zealand as a particularly useful model. Changing that country’s voting system requires the support of 75 per cent of MPs or a majority of votes in a national referendum. “I believe this is something that parliamentarians should consider,” Mayrand wrote.

His view is another good reason for the Liberals to pause before making any attempt to ram their chosen voting system through Parliament. Not only because Mayrand is a highly respected authority on election reform — but because he’s right.

Options under discussion include replacing first-past-the-post with a ranked ballot, which many experts believe would benefit a centrist party like the Liberals, and proportional representation, variations of which have been rejected by voters at the provincial level on several occasions.

Before any new system is brought in, consent from a majority of Canadians should be obtained either through a broad consensus of elected MPs or a national referendum. Since Parliament appears hopelessly divided, a referendum seems the more realistic of these alternatives. But that doesn’t fit the Liberals’ timetable for reform.

Given the long lead-time necessary for Elections Canada to prepare for a new voting system, necessary legislation must be enacted by May, Mayrand reported earlier this year. But a special referendum would take six months to organize, leaving its verdict too late to implement in time for the 2019 federal contest.

Given these options, Trudeau’s best move would be put election reform to a national vote and let Canadians chose the system they want, even if it means breaking a promise to do away with first-past-the-post during his first term in office.

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