Chatham-Kent residents want the final say on electoral reform.
Dave Van Kesteren surveyed around 1,500 constituents this past summer, and the MP for Chatham-Kent-Leamington says the results can't be ignored.
"We set all the proposals forward that the government was proposing, and asked all those to participate and what their thoughts were," he says. "More than 90% came back and said they thought we needed to have a referendum."
A special all-party committee is recommending the Trudeau government design a new proportional voting system, and wants a national referendum.
But Van Kesteren says Ottawa's running out of time to change the way we vote, if it's going to happen before the next election.
"[Canada's] electoral officer did say that there is a deadline that has to be met if they're going to introduce legislation," says Van Kesteren. "It's getting close and, for that reason, we've really got to get a commitment from the government."
Van Kesteren adds, despite having the highest local turnout for his survey in recent memory, he doesn't think the issue hasn't caught the attention of most Canadians.
More discussion is needed, he says, if we're to choose between the current system and a new one.
"This is something that's going to fundamentally change the way we elect our representatives, and yet people really haven't got a good idea of just what this entails," says Van Kesteren. "That's why a referendum would create some discussion."
