Trudeau says abandoning electoral reform is his biggest regret. Here's how it happened
PM famously said 2015 would be the last election under current voting system
While announcing his decision to step down as prime minister, Justin Trudeau reflected on his time in office and shared one significant regret—failing to implement electoral reform. When asked about his regrets, Trudeau admitted there were "many" but highlighted the missed opportunity to reform how Canadians elect their government.
"If I have one regret, particularly as we approach this election, it’s that we weren’t able to change the way we elect our governments so people could choose a second or third choice on the same ballot," Trudeau said. He added that such a system would encourage political parties to focus on shared goals rather than fostering division.
During his first federal election campaign as Liberal leader, Trudeau pledged that 2015 would be the last time Canadians voted under the first-past-the-post system, where candidates win by securing the most votes in a riding. However, Trudeau's campaign did not specifically endorse a ranked ballot system, which allows voters to rank candidates by preference, and he later backtracked on the commitment to electoral reform.
In their 2015 platform, the Liberal Party proposed forming an all-party parliamentary committee to explore various voting systems, including ranked ballots and proportional representation, and to deliver recommendations. The committee released its report in late 2016, advocating for a referendum on a proportional representation system that would better align the distribution of seats in Parliament with the popular vote. While this proposal received support from some opposition parties, Liberal MPs issued a dissenting report, arguing that the recommendations were rushed and lacked sufficient public engagement.
By the time the committee's recommendations were presented, Trudeau’s stance on electoral reform had shifted. In October 2016, he suggested that public demand for reform had decreased after the Liberal Party’s electoral victory. Later, his then-minister for democratic institutions, Maryam Monsef, dismissed the committee’s recommendations, leading to criticism and an apology. Shortly afterward, Monsef was replaced in a cabinet shuffle, and Trudeau formally abandoned the electoral reform commitment in a mandate letter to her successor, Karina Gould.
In the letter, Trudeau stated that a clear preference or consensus for a new voting system had not emerged, and without it, pursuing electoral reform was not in Canada’s best interest. Trudeau also voiced concerns about proportional representation, which he believed could lead to polarization. While he favored a ranked ballot system, which studies suggested would benefit the Liberal Party, opposition from other parties deterred him from pursuing unilateral reform.
Reflecting on his decision during a podcast interview in 2023, Trudeau admitted he might have erred by not expressing his preference for ranked ballots earlier. He acknowledged that his majority government could have implemented the change but emphasized the need for consensus.
"The consequences of changing our electoral system are so significant," Trudeau said, reiterating that he refrained from making an "irreversible change" without broader support. During his resignation announcement, he reiterated this sentiment, stating, "I could not change unilaterally—without the support of other parties—our electoral system. That wouldn't have been responsible."
