A timeline of events surrounding the Liberal promise of electoral reform

Feb 1, 2017 | 1:45 PM

OTTAWA — During the 2015 election campaign, Justin Trudeau promised that a Liberal government would ensure it was the last to be held under the first-past-the-post electoral system. A look at how the electoral reform debate unfolded in the ensuing months:

Dec. 16, 2015: Trudeau tells The Canadian Press he has no interest in replacing the current system with one designed to favour the Liberal party. Rather, he says he wants a system that makes the country’s democracy stronger.

May 5, 2016: Trudeau apologizes for suggesting opposition parties are to blame for a delay in setting up a parliamentary committee that would recommend a new system.

June 2, 2016: Trudeau admits his government botched the launch of its reform initiative by insisting on Liberal control over the all-party committee. He concedes his government was behaving too much like the previous Conservative government, which Liberals had roundly condemned for using its majority to impose changes to election laws. He agrees to give up the Liberal majority on the committee.

Oct. 12, 2016: NDP democratic reform critic Nathan Cullen says the party has undertaken an “unprecedented” cross-country consultation with more than 37,000 Canadians and has found overwhelming support for a proportional system.

Oct. 19, 2016: Montreal’s Le Devoir newspaper publishes an interview with Trudeau in which he says any major reform to the voting system would require “substantial” support — a clear sign that the government’s position is evolving. He also suggests that the public clamour for reform has subsided with the Liberal government in power.

Dec. 1, 2016: The opposition-dominated parliamentary committee recommends the government design a proportional voting system and hold a national referendum to gauge support for it. Liberal members of the committee recommend Trudeau abandon his promise to reform the electoral system by the next election in October 2019, saying there’s no consensus among Canadians and not enough time to make such a radical change.

Democratic Institutions Minister Maryam Monsef dismisses the report, insists there’s no consensus and mocks opposition parties for not recommending a specific new voting system. She apologizes the following day for her insulting tone but sticks by the substance of her response to the committee’s report.

Dec. 5, 2016: Monsef launches an online survey on electoral reform, which does not ask participants about any specific voting model but rather purports to elicit the values Canadians want to underpin their democracy. The survey is mocked in social media and by opposition parties who suspect it’s designed to either allow Trudeau to renege on his promise of electoral reform or promote a ranked ballot system.

Jan. 10, 2017: Monsef is shuffled out of the Democratic Institutions portfolio, replaced by Karina Gould. The new minister refuses to repeat the Liberal promise that the first-past-the-post voting system would be replaced.

Feb. 1, 2017: Gould announces the government is abandoning its promise to reform the system before the next election. Her mandate letter from Trudeau says a variety of consultations across the country have shown that Canadians are not clamouring for a change in the way they choose their federal government. It also rules out the possibility of a national referendum.

The NDP and Green parties, whose members were counting on the new system to bolster their fortunes, express dismay.

The Canadian Press