[fvc-wat-disc] Fwd: Govt abandons vote reform

[Sharon Sommerville]

Hi Les,

Thanks for letting us know and for your support on electoral reform.
Perhaps another time!

Take care,
Sharon

On Fri, Feb 10, 2017 at 7:29 AM, Les Kadar <leskadar at rogers.com> wrote:

> Sorry no. We just returned from vacation and have a lot of business to
> cover.
>
>
> Les Kadar
> iPad email
>
> On Feb 9, 2017, at 9:47 PM, Sharon Sommerville <
> sharonsommerville at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> Hi Les,
>
> Thanks for sharing Bryan's email.  Appreciate the chance to read Bryan's
> presentation.  Interesting that the LPC, despite promoting themselves as
> the party of evidence, ignored the evidence of the expert witnesses and the
> recommendations of the ERRE.  Anyway they try to spin it, it stills comes
> out as self serving.
>
> Can you make it to the rally on Saturday?
>
> Kind regards,
> Sharon
>
> On Thu, Feb 9, 2017 at 7:57 PM, Les Kadar <leskadar at rogers.com> wrote:
>
>> Sharron had asked if I receive a response from Bryan May on my
>> condemnation of the Liberal decision.
>> Please see the platform patented response below.
>> I don't buy it.
>>
>>
>> Les Kadar
>> iPad email
>>
>> Begin forwarded message:
>>
>> *From:* <Bryan.May at parl.gc.ca>
>> *Date:* February 9, 2017 at 3:20:02 PM EST
>> *To:* <leskadar at rogers.com>
>> *Subject:* *RE: Govt abandons vote reform*
>>
>> Dear Les,
>>
>>
>>
>> Thank you for your email regarding the Prime Minister’s decision to not
>> change our current voting system.
>>
>>
>>
>> As you are aware, the government has been consulting with Canadians over
>> the course of the last year on how to approach electoral reform. Using town
>> halls, an online survey, and the Electoral Reform (ERRE) committee, our
>> current system was reviewed, and options for moving forward have been
>> carefully considered. In Cambridge, MP May received hundreds of emails and
>> phone calls from constituents over the last year, and he was pleased to
>> host a town hall meeting in Kitchener with other regional MPs on this topic.
>>
>>
>>
>> MP May has written commentary about this decision and posted it on our
>> website <http://bryanmaymp.ca/>. I’ve taken the liberty of including
>> these comments below.
>>
>>
>>
>> If you have any other questions regarding this, please feel free to reach
>> out to me. If you would be interested in speaking with MP May to discuss
>> this personally, please let me know and I would be happy to set up a call.
>>
>>
>>
>> Thank you for your email,
>>
>>
>>
>> <image001.png>
>>
>> *Dakota Burgin | *Member’s Assistant
>>
>>
>> Office of Bryan May | Member of Parliament for Cambridge
>>
>> The Valour Building, Room 910
>>
>> Ottawa, Ontario  K1A 0A6
>>
>> Tel. (613) 996 – 1307 <(613)%20996-1307>
>> Fax: (613) 996 – 8340 <(613)%20996-8340>
>>
>> bryan.may at parl.gc.ca
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> “Dear Neighbours,
>>
>> It’s my great pleasure and pride to serve as your Member of Parliament.
>>
>> Electoral reform is an important topic, and our government has consulted
>> widely on this issue, hearing from almost 400,000 Canadians. In Cambridge,
>> I’ve talked with hundreds of constituents, and I want to thank you for
>> sharing your opinions and ideas.
>>
>> These consultations involved listening to the ideas, concerns and
>> information presented across the country. The Electoral Reform (ERRE)
>> Committee undertook a major study to review our system and look at options
>> for moving forward, hundreds of thousands participated in an online survey,
>> and tens of thousands of Canadians were engaged in local community events.
>> I, along with the other Waterloo Region MPs, hosted an electoral reform
>> town hall which brought out more than 250 people, including the Minister.
>>
>> After the surveys were completed, the ERRE report tabled, and Canadians
>> were widely consulted, two things became clear: first, that there is no
>> clear consensus on a mandate for change. Canadians were broadly divided on
>> this issue. Second, there is no clear preferred voting system that emerged
>> as an alternate option. A referendum on the topic would be unhelpful
>> without a specific alternative option to vote for. Many individuals broadly
>> support a system of proportional representation, but no consensus exists on
>> a specific type of proportional system.
>>
>> We listened to people, learned what experts have to say, reached out to
>> families, and understood how changes could influence all of us. However,
>> believing in public consultation means that you have to actually listen to
>> what people are saying.
>>
>> The government, in consultation, has decided that we will not be moving
>> forward with plans to change our electoral system. The next election will
>> be held using the First-Past-the-Post voting system.
>>
>> I know that there are strong cases both for and against making
>> significant changes, and the government recognizes both sides of the
>> argument. There simply is no consensus in Cambridge or across Canada at
>> this time. Even if you strongly disagree with this decision, I don’t
>> believe anyone will disagree that there are valid concerns with all sides
>> of this argument.
>>
>> I want to sincerely thank the people who have contributed to this
>> discussion. The individuals who called or emailed my office, on both sides
>> of this issue, those who came out to the electoral reform town-halls, and
>> people who offered up opinions and ideas when I met them in our community –
>> thank you.
>>
>> Regardless of your circumstances, political affiliations, or beliefs, I’m
>> here to help you with the federal issues that matter to you. Please contact
>> my office if you have any questions or concerns.
>>
>>
>>
>> Bryan May, MP”
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Les Kadar [mailto:leskadar at rogers.com <leskadar at rogers.com>]
>> Sent: February 1, 2017 6:57 PM
>> To: May, Bryan - M.P.
>> Subject: Govt abandons vote reform
>>
>>
>>
>> Unacceptable.
>>
>> It was a key pillar in my support for the party.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> Les Kadar
>>
>> iPad email
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> This is the fvc-wat-disc mailing list
>> Post a message: fvc-wat-disc at listserv.thinkers.org
>> Unsubscribe: http://listserv.thinkers.org/mailman/listinfo/fvc-wat-disc_l
>> istserv.thinkers.org
>>
>>
> _______________________________________________
> This is the fvc-wat-disc mailing list
> Post a message: fvc-wat-disc at listserv.thinkers.org
> Unsubscribe: http://listserv.thinkers.org/mailman/listinfo/fvc-wat-disc_
> listserv.thinkers.org
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> This is the fvc-wat-disc mailing list
> Post a message: fvc-wat-disc at listserv.thinkers.org
> Unsubscribe: http://listserv.thinkers.org/mailman/listinfo/fvc-wat-disc_
> listserv.thinkers.org
>
>
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://listserv.thinkers.org/pipermail/fvc-wat-disc_listserv.thinkers.org/attachments/20170210/1e4c4e97/attachment-0002.htm>