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Recently, Trudeau provided a stunning excuse: “referendums are a pretty good way of not getting any electoral reform.” After all, voters in Prince Edward Island, Ontario and British Columbia rejected changing the current system. On the need for a prior referendum, a recent EKOS poll found that Canadians are evenly split on the issue. And an Insights West poll found that 65 per cent of Canadians think a referendum is needed, compared to only 17 per cent who believe a vote in the House of Commons would suffice.

And yet he is barrelling ahead, having admitted that the population wants to be heard and is likely opposed to any change. Apparently, the prime minister and his advisers believe they can get away with this manoeuvre because Trudeau’s approval ratings are so high. Of course, if they are wrong, it could turn out very badly for the Liberal brand.

Every political party is burdened by a negative narrative that flows from their track record and public persona. They have to be especially careful not to reinforce it, or the punishment could be swift and decisive. For the Liberals, that narrative relates to their historic sense of entitlement.

In spite of the current infatuation with the Liberals, Canadians will not long tolerate a government that takes them for granted or imposes its schemes against their will. Tampering with the electoral system for political gain is playing with fire.

Imagine if, when Stephen Harper was prime minister, he had tried to change the electoral system to give the Conservative party an advantage. And that he did so without holding a referendum, because he admitted people would probably reject his plan. The outcry would have been deafening, starting with some of the very people who today are deafening in their silence.