A record number of people signed e-petitions last year — do they make a difference?

A call for the House of Commons to vote no confidence in the Liberal government is now the most-signed e-petition ever to be launched in Canada — another sign of the increasing popularity of online petitions.

The petition was put forward by a Peterborough, Ont. resident and sponsored by Conservative MP Michelle Ferreri. It calls on the House of Commons to initiate a vote of non-confidence in the Liberal government, defeat it and hold an election within 45 days.

The e-petition, now awaiting certification, garnered 386,698 signatures by the time the signing period closed just before Christmas. Ferreri frequently promoted the e-petition on social media, including in a video featuring the person who had initiated the petition.

In a statement sent to CBC News, Ferreri accused Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of eroding Canadians' trust in government through his government's record on several key issues.

«Misery is a powerful motivator and clearly this petition is elevating the voices of Canadians who are sick of the Trudeau imposed misery and want a leader and a government they can trust,» she said.

High-profile e-petitions attracted hundreds of thousands of signatures last year — part of a growing trend toward using online petitions to pressure governments on a variety of controversial subjects, such as firearms regulations and foreign policy.

The number of signatures on electronic petitions, which can be presented in the House of Commons, has been growing steadily since they were introduced in 2015, according to an analysis of House of Commons data by CBC News. The number of signatures hit a new high last year — almost 1.5 million names on about 500 e-petitions.

Most of those signatures went to just a few high-profile online