Article content continued

Monsef said she recognizes that that’s “one way” to seek clarity from Canadians, but she’s not convinced it’s the “best way.” Half of eligible voters don’t end up voting, she said.

In response to questions from Conservative critic Scott Reid on whether the government would hold a referendum if the committee decided to recommend one, Monsef wouldn’t say yes or no, but that it would be “incumbent” upon the government to “take that seriously.”

Hosting a successful dialogue is both an art and a craft.

Reid noted recent commentary from former Chief Electoral Officer Jean-Pierre Kingsley, who explained why holding a referendum isn’t legally possible in Canada unless it’s on a “constitutional matter.”

Monsef acknowledged that the Referendum Act needs to be updated. But she said that it’s premature to do so now — that’s “putting the cart before the horse.”

Still, Reid argued that without legislative changes put into place now, even the possibility of a referendum is being crippled.

Pressed further by Conservative MP Gerard Deltell, Monsef said this issue is too complex to “boil down to a simple yes or no” and she wouldn’t be giving a “black or white answer.”

But according to the “toolkit” tabled in committee Wednesday, there’s another way that Canadians “like you” can be a part of the government’s “stronger democracy agenda.”

That’s by engaging their communities in “dialogue” events, not planned, executed and funded by members of Parliament — though that could happen, too — but by ordinary people. That could be a coffee chat among a few friends or an elaborate, live-streamed town hall.