OTTAWA—The Liberals have agreed to give up their complete control over recommending a new electoral system, requiring at least one other major party to support their ultimate proposal.

Democratic Institutions Minister Maryam Monsef made the surprise announcement Thursday morning after weeks of criticism the Liberals were out to “stack the deck” on electoral reform.

Monsef had originally proposed a Liberal-dominated committee, reflecting the results of election rules she and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had pledged to change.

Instead, the government will voluntarily give up their majority — retaining five seats, and allotting three to the Conservatives, two to the NDP, and one seat each for the Bloc Québécois and Green parties.

“We know there are a lot of good ideas out there,” Monsef told reporters. “And the purpose of coming together with the parties across the aisle today was to demonstrate that co-operation in this place is possible.”

The committee structure was originally proposed by the New Democrats in February. NDP democratic reform critic Nathan Cullen argued a committee changing something so fundamental as how Canadians vote should reflect how Canadians actually voted in the last election.

Cullen said requiring the support of more than just one party will go a ways to assuring Canadians the Liberals aren’t rigging the game.

“Credibility is at the heart of this whole conversation. How can we construct a process on something so vital as our voting system that Canadians, both in perception and in reality, see as credible,” Cullen said outside the House of Commons.

“What we saw from the minister today was the result of, I believe, some good faith negotiations in which the definition of a good deal is when all sides have to give up a little.”

Far from ending weeks of acrimonious debate over how Canadians vote, Thursday’s announcement seems to only have re-drawn the battle lines.

The Conservatives, adamant that any change to Canada’s electoral system need to be put to a national referendum, accused the Liberals and NDP of cooking up a “backroom deal” to push their preferred reforms.

Conservative MP Scott Reid called the new committee “wildly undemocratic” and said that without a referendum, any proposed changes could be “unconstitutional.”

“(The committee) is not a replacement for a referendum on something as fundamental as changing the way Canadians get to exercise their sacred franchise . . . to elect parliamentarians,” Reid said.

Reid said he and his Conservative colleagues were caught completely by surprise by Monsef’s announcement, and said it was inaccurate that the official Opposition was consulted.

“We were sideswiped and . . . wouldn’t it make sense for the government to try and explain, demonstrate that they are capable of working with others rather than blindsiding others while talking a fine line about this?” Reid said.

Monsef has not ruled out a referendum explicitly, but has repeatedly said she’s not convinced it’s the best way to go about judging Canadians’ buy-in. At the same time, she has said the Liberals won’t move forward without “widespread support” of voters.

Speaking to reporters later Thursday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he found it curious the Conservatives would demand a referendum — given they unilaterally changed elections rules through the Fair Elections Act when last in power.

“What we committed to in reforming our electoral system is listening, consulting, talking about the values that underpin our electoral system and making sure that the new system we will be bringing in reflects both the concerns and the values of Canadians,” Trudeau told reporters in Ottawa.

“In so doing, we look forward to working with all parties in the House, we look forward to consulting broadly with Canadians. But the focus we have is on being inclusive and respectful while continuing to be committed to making electoral change happen.”

Once the committee is struck, it will have less than six months to report with recommendations to overhaul the electoral system. Monsef is also encouraging all MPs to hold townhalls in their ridings, and give her written submissions to what they hear.

Trudeau has said before that he prefers a ranked ballot system, where voters could rank candidates in order of preference. Since taking power, however, the Liberals have been careful to say they don’t wish to prejudice the committee process.

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The Conservatives appear to prefer the status quo of the first-past-the-post system, but have focused their efforts on pushing for a national referendum on whatever system the government ultimately suggests.

The New Democrats have long championed proportional representation, which advocates say would better reflect the popular will of voters. Cullen has previously said, however, that any improvement on first-past-the-post would be welcome.

Whatever the outcome of the committee process, Elections Canada has said legislation would have to be put forward in early 2017 to make ready for the next federal election in 2019.

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