Maryam Monsef

[Democratic Reform, December 5th, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for his hard work on the special committee on electoral reform.

Research around the world shows, as does the report from the committee, that the best way to have an inclusive and accessible conversation about electoral reform with the citizenry is through a values-based approach.

Should there be more diversity in this House? Should there be smaller parties representing a diverse range of voices, or should we have larger parties representing a broad set of perspectives? Should voting be mandatory and online? These are the questions—

[Democratic Reform, December 5th, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the opportunity to rise on this traditional Algonquin territory to talk about a new initiative we launched this morning. MyDemocracy.ca is a new, engaging initiative that will allow all Canadians to have an opportunity to have a say in this conversation. As of just a few hours ago, over 8,000 unique users have participated in this conversation about the values they find most dear to them. We look forward to hearing from many more over the course of this month.

[Democratic Reform, December 2nd, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, I thank members of the House who hosted town halls in their ridings and my parliamentary secretary for his continued work on this effort. I would like to thank the members of the special committee who have travelled far and wide, and the Canadians who have taken part.

There are 15 million households in this country that will receive an invitation in the mail starting next week. Some have already begun, inviting them to be part of this conversation, so that before we make any final recommendations on electoral reform, we have ensured that we have heard from as many Canadians as possible.

We will do that, and we are looking forward to doing something that has not been done before.

[Democratic Reform, December 2nd, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, the member opposite and I agree. We need to hear from as many Canadians as possible before we move forward on legislation on electoral reform. That is exactly what we will do.

Starting next week, Canadians will have an opportunity not just to have a say, but to learn more about their democracy. We want to hear from them, the values they would like shaping their electoral system, and we are looking forward to hearing from as many Canadians as possible before we introduce legislation in the House.

[Democratic Reform, December 2nd, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, as I said yesterday in the House, there are concrete recommendations in the report the committee presented to us, like the need for greater engagement of all Canadians in the conversation on electoral reform.

This past summer, members of the House held conversations in their ridings. My parliamentary secretary and I travelled the country, as did the committee on electoral reform. Next week, we will launch an online initiative that Canadians can also access through the telephone. We would like to hear their thoughts on the values they would like at the heart of their democracy.

[Democratic Reform, December 2nd, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for accepting my apology. I certainly feel better. However, I also recognize how passionate the member opposite is about a referendum.

I encourage all members of the House to read the report. I encourage all Canadians to go online beginning next week and become engaged and empowered about their democracy.

[Democratic Reform, December 2nd, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for another opportunity to talk about the new digital initiative we will be launching next week.

The member is right that as of next week, mydemocracy.ca will allow Canadians to have a conversation about their democracy. Something that the special committee's report did highlight was the importance of engaging Canadians further, and a recognition that while there is no perfect electoral system, the conversation with Canadians needs to take place through a values-based approach. That is exactly what we are doing, and we are looking forward to hearing from as many Canadians as possible before we present our recommendations to the House.

[Democratic Reform, December 2nd, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, I will respond positively to this question by offering my sincere apologies to the member for my comments yesterday.

We are looking forward to connecting with as many Canadians as possible through a new online and telephone initiative, which will ensure that we hear from as many Canadians as possible before we present the House with our recommendations on electoral reform.

[Democratic Reform, December 2nd, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, allow me to take this opportunity to apologize again for the words I used yesterday. I thank all members of the House for their hard work, especially the members of the special all-party committee, and I encourage all members to read the report.

[Democratic Reform, December 2nd, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, it is a great privilege to be here on this Algonquin territory with my colleagues.

I would like to take a moment to address something. Yesterday in the House, I used words that I deeply regret.

If you will allow me, Mr. Speaker, I would like to sincerely apologize to the members of the House, to Canadians, and to the members of the all-party Special Committee on Electoral Reform. In no way did I intend to imply that they did not work hard, that they did not put in the long hours, or that they did not focus on the task at hand. I thank them for their work.