ELECTIONS

• When Canadian Federal elections are held (5 yrs) each party is allowed to run one candidate in each constituency.– Elections Canada (Chief Electoral Officer)– 308 constituencies (based on population)

• Only one person from the riding will become M.P. (member of Parliament)– This is called single member plurality. (single member

constituency)

Liberals

158 seats Conservative

100 seats

Bloc

40 seats

NDP

10 seats

Government

158 seats

Opposition

150 seats

308 seats in Total

A majority government is one in which the party in power has more than half the seats in the House of

Commons

Liberals

135 seats Conservative

94 seats

Bloc

55 seats

NDP

23 seats

Government

135 seats

Opposition

173 seats

308 seats in Total

A minority government is one in which the party in power holds the most seats, but less than all other

parties combined.

Other

1 seat

Liberals

135 seats Conservative

92 seats

Bloc

55 seats

NDP

26 seats

Government

161 seats

Opposition

147 seats

308 seats in Total

A coalition government is one in which a minority government convinces one of the opposition parties to

join them in power.

VS.

ADVANTAGESEase of debate and amendment of bills– Amendments are only made to bills if they are

directly related to the subject of the proposed bill.

ADVANTAGESQuick passage of bills– Through the cabinet the government can

determine how much time should be allotted for each bill.

ADVANTAGESPublic Accountability– Through daily “Question Period” members of

the opposition parties can question the policies of the government.

ADVANTAGESIndependent Judiciary– The judicial process helps refine and clarify

laws passed by Parliament.

DISADVANTAGES

The Canadian principle of responsible government involves cooperation between the legislative and executive branches

• leads to successive changes in government and instability.

DISADVANTAGESClosure– When the government ends debate on a bill

by imposing limits on opposition party members’ time to speak. (i.e. G.S.T./Free Trade)

DISADVANTAGESPatronage– To ensure quick passage of its proposals and

to promote party discipline, the government has engaged in patronage.

DISADVANTAGESLack of Accountability– Party discipline does not allow elected

members of the House to vote according to their constituents.

– Lobbying puts great power in the hands of unelected and well-financed organizations.

ADVANTAGESEase of debate and amendment of bills

– At each stage of the legislative process in the American Congress, a bill undergoes considerable debate and modification.

ADVANTAGESFreedom of Action

– A vote of non-confidence cannot occur so there is no need for party solidarity.

– Individual members of Congress are free to act for their own reasons.

– President does not have to rely on the support of a particular political party to pass presidential bills.

ADVANTAGESPresidential Check

– The president can veto the passing of poor legislation by Congress and send it back for further review.

DISADVANTAGESStaggered terms of office can reduce popular control of elected officials.– Takes 6 years to completely change

government. (unresponsive)

DISADVANTAGESCumbersome and Slow– If the Democratic and Republican parties are

divided along ideological lines, possibility exists for political instability. (i.e. filibuster)

DISADVANTAGES“Logrolling” and “pork barreling.”

– “Logrolling” occurs when politicians agree to support each other’s bill. Amendments are often added to the bill to attract support.

– “Pork barreling” is the appropriation of money or the passage of bills that benefit a politicians electoral district.

DISADVANTAGESMisuse of Presidential Vote

– Because the president is not responsible to Congress, the president can reject any legislation that is passed.

METHOD OF ELECTING MP’s

• Single-member constituencies– One person is elected (first past the post)

• Even if they did not get the majority of votes.– Largest number of votes– Example is Canada

SINGLE MEMBER CONSTITUENCIES

ADVANTAGES• Usually produces

stable government with only a few political parties– Usually guarantees

that one party wins majority.

DISADVANTAGES• Can create parliament

that do not accurately reflect nation-wide strength of each party.(example page 76)

Run-Off System

• France & Russia• If no person receives a majority of the

votes then top 2 vote getters are placed on another ballot and another election is held to gain a majority. (usually happens within a week or two.)

Multi-Member Constituencies

• More than one person elected from each constituency.

• Voters rank order candidates in order of preference.

• Ireland

Proportional Representation

• Citizens vote for political parties rather than individuals.

• Seats given in proportion to their share of popular vote.– i.e. party gets 40% of votes wins 40% of the

seats.– If party wins 20 seats the parties top ranked

20 candidates are elected.

PROPORTIONAL REPRESENTATION

ADVANTAGES• More accurately reflects

nation wide support• Minority parties get

representation.• Balances regional

strength• Weeds out extreme

groups who have very little support

DISADVANTAGES• Party can exert more

control over chosen candidates.– (chosen by party officials)

• Unstable govt./elections too often.– (minority and coalition

governments)• Creates minor parties that

represent narrow interests and undermine broad based national parties.

DEMOCRACY IN SWEDEN

A Description of Sweden’s System of Government

• Constitutional monarchy• Unicameral• Fusion of power• Representative & parliamentary

The Prime Minister

• Leader of the political party that has the support of the majority of elected officials in the Riksdag.

• P.M. and cabinet can be voted out of office by parliament.

• Party solidarity usually prevents this.• Vote of Non-Confidence can occur.

Cabinet Ministers

• Each in charge of separate department.• Responsible for preparing legislation for

approval by Riksdag.

Elections

• Fixed term– Held every fourth year on the third Sunday in

September.• Each party provides lists of candidates for

office.• Voters select the lists of their choice and

place in ballot box. (select party and favorite candidates)

Political Parties• 8 major political parties

– Social Democratic Labour Party has been in power since 1932 alone or in coalition govt. for all but 9 years.

– Other parties include• Centre Party (appeals to farmers)• Conservative Party (appeals to big business)• Liberal Party (middle class)• Communist Party (6% of popular vote in 1994)• Green Party (environmental concerns)• New Democratic Party• Christian Democratic Party

Power in the Swedish System

• Power lies with Swedish parliament (Riksdag)– P.M. with Council of State (cabinet)

• Uses proportional representation (349 seats)– 29 constituencies (310 members are elected)– 39 seats are distributed based on each party’s

share of total votes cast nationally. (Parties must win 4% of nation wide vote to participate)

Proportional Representation in Sweden

• Each constituency is allotted several seats. (29 constituencies in Sweden)

• Cast ballot for the party.• Each party can nominate as many candidates as number

of seats in riding.• Party ranks candidates in order of preference.• If party wins 3 seats the party member #1, 2, 3 are elected.• Seats won are based % of vote received by parties per

riding/constituency. • 310 representatives are elected• Additional 39 seats distributed on % of party’s vote

nationally.– Each party must obtain at least 12% of total vote in a

single riding or 4% of nation-wide vote.

Should the House of Commons have a rule requiring ½ of all members of Parliament to be

male and ½ be female?

Should Canada’s system of government adapt with the times and make fundamental changes rather than stick with out-dated

traditions such as having a Governor-General?

“Public opinion polls should not be released publicly during the

last several weeks of an election campaign?”

Agree or Disagree?

“Dictatorial forms of government do have some distinct

advantages over democratic governments?”

Agree or Disagree?

Political Participation in Democracies

Political Parties• Political parties play an important role in

democracies.– Join a party– Run for office– Help shape Party PlatformParty Platform– Means of communication between people & the

government– Provide alternative choices for people– Parties can act as a check on power of government.

(watchdog)

Political Parties

Weaknesses• In Canada party loyalty (party solidarity) &

party discipline make the reps. more loyal to party than to people.

Party Systems

One Party System (Mexico)• A system in which one political party wields all

the constitutional power.How is this considered democratic?– If no one is excluded from membership and if

everyone can express opinion without persecution.

Disadvantage• No real choice

Party SystemsTwo Party Systems (USA)• A system in which two political parties dominate

the politics and legislation of a country.Why is this system considered to be superior?– Voters have a definite clear-cut alternative.– Easier to evaluate government

Disadvantages• Reduces choice• Parties can adopt similar policies

Party SystemsMulti-Party Systems (Italy & Sweden)• More than two parties dominate politics and

legislation.Why do parties in this system remain so different from each other?– Fear of losing support forces them to be distinct.

Disadvantages• Coalition governments lead to unstable

governments.

Party SystemsHybrid Type (Canada?)• Third party introduced to a two party system.

What would be an advantage of this system?– Keeps other two parties on their toes (fresh ideas or

lose support).– Allow neglected groups of people who are unhappy

with current system to brings their views to government.

Disadvantages• Third party rarely wins much support!

Canadians often grumble about the political system. They often say that they have no influence over government and that it is a waste of time to get involved in politics as nothing changes anyway. However, if people do not become actively involved it is almost certain that the political system will not change.• Government by people only works if people become involved.

• Government can’t reflect the will of the people if people don’t get involved to tell government what they want.

• With no public inquiry, governments become corrupt.

•If people aren’t vigilant, a small group could take over government.

WHO CARES?

Political systems differ from country to country. Not all nations allow citizen participation in government decision making. Some countries strive to ensure that citizens are given their rights and responsibilities by law. Canada is a democracy that attempts to allow for as much participation as possible. Yet election results reveal that in some cases a surprisingly small percentage of the electorate actually vote. This has led some people to consider the concept of compulsory voting.

Canadian Federal Election 2004

60%

Edmonton Municipal Election 2004

40%

Calgary Municipal Election

18%

Alberta Provincial Election 2004

46%

TWO SIDES TO THE ISSUEYes

• Would achieve a true majority decision.

• It would deal with the problem of apathy.

• Importance of citizenship would be realized

No• Make decisions even

less valid as many would simply vote to avoid a penalty

• This would make people ignorant of the issues at hand

• Freedom means people shouldn’t be required to vote

Individual Freedom VS. Group Welfare

How much power should the state have over the individual?

How do you achieve the proper balance between public order

and individual freedom?

Are there circumstances under which citizens are justified in

disobeying the law, or in using violence to achieve their goals?

3628 1414

106 75

10 11

7

4

111

308 constituencies

2004 Federal Election Results

Father Damien Thich Quang-Duc