After promising that the 2015 election would be the last time Canadians would elect a federal government using the first past the post system, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has decided to abandon that vow.
In a mandate letter to Democratic Institutions Minister Karina Gould, the prime minister said finding a replacement for first past the post is no longer a priority for the government.
The about-face is not sitting well with the NDP.
"The decision in itself is a very, very bad one. It basically takes away the faith that people put in him [Trudeau] as a leader and what they thought was a leader with integrity, and throws it away. It says very clearly that all that matters is what is best for him and the Liberals, not what is best for the country," said Irene Mathyssen, New Democrat MP for London Fanshawe.
The letter to Gould also dismissed the idea of holding a referendum stating that "without a clear preference or a clear question" it would not be in Canada's interest.
Mathyssen said she was not surprised by Wednesday's revelation that the prime minister is abandoning his long-held promise. But she noted his claim that the issue isn't a priority for Canadians is completely false.
"If that is the case, why did so many Canadians respond? Why did they insist last summer that every MP had to have a townhall meeting and talk about electoral reform? In London, I was part of a townhall meeting that attracted far more people than I ever expected on a sunny Sunday afternoon and people were very passionate and very clear that they wanted a system in place that Canadians could feel positive about. They wanted to know that democracy mattered," said Mathyssen.
She vows the NDP will continue to hold Trudeau's feet to the fire on the issue.
"When you promise something, when you use those promises to gain electoral power, there has to be something in terms of integrity and honesty in those promises," said Mathyssen.
