Article content

Minister of Democratic Institutions Maryam Monsef argues that there is no consensus among Canadians on electoral reform. When it comes to finding a consensus on an alternative to the existing First Past the Post system, she may be right.

But there is an absolute consensus among Canadians that no new electoral system should be adopted unless it has first been approved in a national referendum.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Reid: There's consensus on one part of electoral reform – holding a referendum Back to video

By now, we have a year’s worth of poll data on this point, and the relentless consistency of Canadians’ views on the subject is hard to overstate.

What the polls show is this: If the pollster allows respondents to say they are undecided on the issue, the numbers break down as 65 per cent pro-referendum, 20 per cent willing to change the electoral system via ordinary legislation, and about somewhere between 10 per cent and 20 per cent undecided.

For example, here’s what the Vancouver-based firm, Insights West, found when it asked, “Regardless of how you feel about electoral reform, do you think a change in the current system should be put to a nationwide referendum, or do you think a vote in the House of Commons is enough to settle the matter?”