Paul Martin, the Prime Minister, is not ruling out the possibility he may designate specific seats in the House of Commons for aboriginals. Speaking to reporters following a meeting of the federal Cabinet, Mr. Martin said MPs are free to study the merits of such a move. "That was a recommendation that was made by the caucus committee. It's something obviously that parliamentarians can consider," he said. Mr. Martin was reacting to a proposed Liberal party aboriginal election platform that was prepared by the aboriginal caucus and obtained this week by the CanWest News Service. The draft caucus report was submitted yesterday to the party's main election platform committee, which met as part of the final stages of preparing the party's election package. The aboriginal caucus report calls for a pledge from Mr. Martin to consider setting aside seats in the House of Commons specifically for aboriginals. The report recommends Canada look to the system used in New Zealand, where aboriginals can choose to remain on the national voters' list or switch to a Maori voters' list. The number of people on the aboriginal voters' list is then used to determine the number of seats dedicated to New Zealand's native population. The Conservative party shot down the idea on Wednesday as "quotas in the legislature based on race." However, the New Zealand model is included in the NDP's election platform, and NDP MP Pat Martin said dedicated seats for aboriginals are part of the NDP's pledge to change Canada's voting system to include elements of proportional representation.
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