February 1, 2017, Ottawa – The Prime Minister and his cabinet announced that they no longer plan to change the Canadian voting system. Bev Shipley, Member of Parliament for Lambton-Kent-Middlesex, expresses his thanks to his constituents for their input on Electoral Reform. “The feedback rate from you on this issue was one of the highest I have ever seen in all my years as your Member of Parliament,” says MP Shipley. “Your voices could not be ignored!”

The vast majority of Lambton-Kent-Middlesex residents called on the government to give Canadians the final say by way of a Referendum if any changes were to be made on how Members of Parliament are elected. Changing the electoral system was a personal ambition of the Prime Minister that he repeated over 1100 times to Canadians. The Prime Minister has broken a promise he never should have made.

The Liberal government mishandled the electoral reform file from day one. Bev Shipley is glad the government took the Official Opposition interim leader’s advice to park electoral reform. With the process in tatters, the Conservative leader, Rona Ambrose, said late last year that it was time to set the discussion aside, and focus on the real priorities of Canadians.

MP Shipley agrees: “Canada was, is, and will remain a democratic country with a voting system that is respected worldwide. It is time to focus on lowering taxes, creating jobs, supporting small business and fostering economic stability.”