After promising not to follow in Justin Trudeau’s footsteps, Prime Minister François Legault is imitating his federal counterpart and definitively renouncing his promise to reform the voting system, the New Democracy Movement (MDN) denounced on Friday.
The president of MDN, Jean-Pierre Charbonneau, affirms that he was informed Friday afternoon by the cabinet of Mr. Legault.
“It’s scandalous,” thundered Mr. Charbonneau in an interview with the Duty. It is really betraying his word, betraying his signature, betraying everything he said and doing the opposite of what he had promised, at the cost of encouraging the cynicism of the citizens. “
Tabled in 2019, Bill 39 aimed to introduce a new mixed voting system with regional compensation, replacing the first past the post in one round currently in place, which allows parties in particular to win a greater proportion of seats in parliament. than the number of votes received.
In 2018, while in opposition, Mr. Legault personally joined a coalition formed by the Parti Québécois (PQ), Québec solidaire (QS) and the Green Party of Quebec (PVQ) to put an end to these distortions. He made this public commitment after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau himself reneged on his own promise to reform the voting system once in office.
“We will not do like Justin Trudeau,” promised Mr. Legault at a press conference.
Mr. Charbonneau was indignant that Mr. Legault renounced his promise after denouncing Mr. Trudeau in this way.
“Legault decided that he too was making a Justin Trudeau of himself,” he denounced.
Mr. Legault’s office informed Mr. Charbonneau that the CAQ does not intend to keep this proposal on its electoral platform, information confirmed by a source familiar with the matter. Mr. Legault will now defend the status quo.
“The Prime Minister could have had the courage to call me, I am one of his former colleagues and we have been fighting for that for years,” said Mr. Charbonneau, a former PQ MP.
Before Mr. Legault, Liberal Prime Minister Jean Charest had also renounced his commitment to reform the voting system. The Liberals refused to join the coalition of CAQ, PQ, QS and PVQ.
The Caquista government then decided to submit the reform to the vote of the population in a referendum that would have taken place in the 2022 elections. But the minister responsible for reform, Sonia LeBel, admitted last spring that the bill could not be adopted in time for a popular consultation.
According to information obtained from a source close to the matter, the Caquist government will leave Bill 39 on the order paper without ever calling it before the next election.
Mr. Legault’s decision testifies to the difficulty for political parties to reform a voting system that brought them to power, noted Mr. Charbonneau. “CAQ deputies want power and want to keep it as long as possible,” he said.