Conservative Leader Stephen Harper became Prime Minister as a result of the 2006 federal election, ending the Liberals' opportunity to move on their promise.
Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau campaigned on a platform of electoral reform in the 2015 federal election, promising to eliminate the current "first-past-the-post" single-member plurality voting system.
His government announced in December 2015 that an all-party parliamentary committee would be formed in early 2016 to consider a variety of alternative election systems, including proportional representation.
During a discussion of the plan, Democratic Institutions Minister Maryam Monsef referred to it as “an open and robust process of consultation”.
However, she refused to commit to the Conservative Party's demand for a public referendum that would allow Canadians to vote on their preferred electoral system, indicating that she did not want to "prejudice the outcome of that consultation process".
Another held in 1948 was on whether or not the provincial government should take control of the province's electrical generation and distribution system, at the time a mixed system of municipal and private corporate ownership, and the preferred method of rural electrification - private corporations or provincial government.
In 2021, a two-part referendum was held, on whether equalization payments should be eliminated from the Constitution of Canada and whether Alberta should observe daylight saving time year-round.
Critics, especially First Nations and religious groups, called for a boycott of the referendum, and only about one third of ballots were returned, significantly less than the usual turnout in provincial general elections.
The ballots that were returned showed enthusiastic support, with over 80 per cent of participating voters agreeing to all eight proposed principles.
British Columbian voters were asked to approve a new electoral system based on the Single Transferable Vote called BC STV.
Premier Gordon Campbell announced due to the large support shown for electoral reform a second referendum would be held in correspondence with the 2009 British Columbia general election.
A mail-in referendum was held from June 13 to August 5, 2011, on the fate of the province's harmonized sales tax.
The result was inconclusive, with 44.6% supporting the restoration of dominion status, 41.1% for confederation with Canada, and 14.3% for continuing the Commission of Government.
The result was a slight victory for the No side although the government went ahead and legalized Sunday Shopping the following year after a court decision overturned the law.
On November 28, 2005, Islanders were asked to vote by plebiscite whether or not they wanted mixed-member proportional representation - partly "party list-based" - electoral system.
[2] In 2022, the Quebec Premier François Legault raised the idea of having referendum on getting more immigration powers from federal government.