as i pointed out previously, this is tricky - because they're actually right, despite the prime minister having promised it in the election. so, you can't take a binary position. instead you need to look at each claim.

1) did the prime minister promise electoral reform? yes. unambiguously.
2) was this a factor in the election? it may have given him a majority instead of a minority.
3) does the government consequently have a mandate for reform? absolutely.
4) is it fair to accuse the government of lying, of breaking a promise, of being dishonest? without question.
5) but, does a majority of canadians support reform at all? that's not clear.
6) does a clear majority of canadians support any single reform option? it's seems that this is obviously false.
7) does a clear majority of canadians support the precise reform option preferred by the governing party? no. definitely not.

it follows that the government is correct to claim that they do not have broad support, and the opposition is correct to accuse them of lying. so, what's the disconnect?

1) the prime minister should not have made such a promise.
2) voters should have done more research to understand what the prime minister had in mind.

i still think that they should have pushed through with the ranked voting and then held it up as a lesson to voters: do your fucking research. it was one of the reasons i voted liberal. and, now that this is off the table, i will be less likely to vote liberal in the future. 

in a broader scheme of things, it also hurts the credibility of the party, which is where the real branding lies. i couldn't care less about justin trudeau. i voted for the party. this is a longstanding party position. you'll excuse me for being naive, but i think it's reasonable to expect a party to carry through with it's longstanding party positions.

what other longstanding party positions are in the dustbin? support for the united nations? universal health care?

again: this is a stupid time to align with a crumbling order. but, after 40 years of infighting, it's hard to expect them to reverse course.

we have lost our liberal party to globalism and neo-liberalism. it is a sad day for the country. and, we will have to destroy them from the ground - regardless of electoral consequence.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/trudeau-electoral-reform-mandate-1.3961736