Tilson Releases Results of the Electoral Reform Consultation

OTTAWA, ON – David Tilson, Member of Parliament for Dufferin-Caledon, today released the results of the consultation on electoral reform he conducted with constituents over the past six weeks.

“I am pleased to be able to release the results today of the consultations I undertook with residents in Dufferin-Caledon over the past month and a half,” said Mr. Tilson. “The feedback I received clearly indicates that my constituents want their say on any proposed changes to our electoral system that the Trudeau Liberals might propose. 

In mid-August, a consultation document was mailed to all 49, 573 homes and businesses in Dufferin-Caledon. In the document, a response form was included which asked the question: “Before changing how we elect our MPs, should the government hold a referendum to get the approval of Canadians?” By September 30, a total of 1833 responses had been received which represents a return rate of 3.76%. A total of 1643 respondents indicated yes to the question (88.04%), 217 indicated no (11.63%) and 6 were undecided (0.33%).

“It is encouraging to see that the wisdom of the voter is on full display in Dufferin-Caledon,” noted Mr. Tilson. “Mr. Trudeau may have a majority government, but a majority of Canadians did not vote for his party in the last election and therefore he does not have a mandate to unilaterally change our electoral system. To have any legitimacy at all, he must take his proposed changes to the people for a final say.”

In addition, today Mr. Tilson also tabled a petition in the House of Commons from numerous constituents asking that the government hold a referendum on any proposed changes to our electoral system.

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