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Rather than hold a plebiscite, they pledged to organize a series of town hall meetings to gauge the will of the people. It’s far easier to stage-manage debate in a room of polite town-folk than to let them loose with a pencil and ballot behind a screen where no one can see what they’re doing. It’s also much easier to hear the message you wish to hear, and came prepared to hear, and will convince yourself you heard no matter what signal others may claim was sent.

The Liberals have previous experience with the dangers of unbridled democracy. It was under a Liberal prime minister that Quebec came within a percentage point of voting to leave Confederation in 1995, a result that finally prompted Ottawa to draw up some stiff rules to ensure it wouldn’t happen again. Scotland’s 2014 vote on independence served as an unpleasant reminder of the emotions that can be unleashed when the future of the country is up for grabs. Though the pro-British side won that contest handily, the Scots were back again in the wake of Thursday’s Brexit result, pledging to take another stab at it.

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It’s unlikely the Trudeau Liberals needed more convincing in any case. They were already facing a tight timeline if a new voting system was to be in place by the time of the next election, as they have vowed. They knew the dull details of the abstruse alternatives they have in mind would be difficult to sell, and might lead to Canadians sticking with the system they know, which, after all, has worked pretty well for 149 years. The last thing they needed was a chance for the public to resist being rushed into a decision, ruining their vision of Liberal governments stretching endlessly towards the horizon.

The Conservatives may continue demanding Liberals give Canadians an opportunity to make clear their view on electoral change, but the odds on it happening got a whole lot worse as of last Thursday. If that upsets you, blame David Cameron.

National Post