Trudeau and Singh's teams quietly planning electoral reform legislation

 

As progress on some measures in the Liberal-NDP confidence-and-supply agreement continue to play out publicly, the two parties have quietly been in talks to table electoral reform legislation before the next federal vote.

Leading these negotiations on the political front, are Public Safety, Democratic Institutions and Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc, and NDP MP and democratic reform critic Daniel Blaikie.

In an interview with CTVNews.ca between NDP caucus retreat sessions in Edmonton, Blaikie said there has been "a fair amount of work done," towards drafting amendments to the Canada Elections Act.

While not a full-scale overhaul of the federal voting system as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau once promised, within the two-party confidence-and-supply agreement are a series of electoral reform proposals aimed at expanding "the ability for people to vote."

Specifically, the Liberals and New Democrats agreed to explore:

•  Allowing an "expanded" three-day voting period during general elections;
•  Allowing voters to cast their ballots at any polling place within their riding; and
•  Improving the mail-in ballot process with both accessibility and maintaining integrity in mind.

https://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/trudeau-and-singh-s-teams-quietly-planning-electoral-reform-legislation-1.6744379