HOW DO CITIZENS ELECT GOVERNMENTS?

Voting Voting in an election is the single most important act of political participation in a democracy. Today representative democracies, not the direct democracies first developed in the small cities and towns in ancient Greece. Modern nations are too large to have all citizens debate and vote on laws affecting them. Citizens elect representatives to do these things on their behalf.

Voting Democratically elected governments Have considerable power Must always be accountable to the people Leaders can be voted out of office and a new government elected.

Checks on Representatives Powers Candidates make promises to the electorate during election campaigns Not all promises will be kept, so it is important that elections be held frequently to ensure that representatives are responsive to the electorate Canadian and provincial representatives must hold an election at least every five years Municipal politicians are elected every three years.

The Election Process Canada’s Voting System https://youtu.be/Mr-93C176qI The prime minister or the premier chooses the best time to call an election within the five year limit. The prime minister asks the governor general to call a general election It must be held within 36 days of that announcement

Canada in the Contemporary World Page 179

The Election Process The chief electoral officer, who is head of Elections Canada, mobilizes thousands of permanent and temporary workers to prepare for the election. Notices are delivered or mailed to voters telling them where to go to vote. The campaign begins in earnest as the candidates and their political parties use newspapers, radio and television advertisements to promote their platforms.

The Election Process By law, Canadian broadcasters must make some free air time available to each party for the purpose of promoting candidates. On election day, polling stations are open for 12 hours. The voter after showing identification, is given a folded ballot. The voter moves to a booth and chooses one of the candidates by marking an X on the ballot in secret. Once satisfied that the ballot is the same, the deputy returning officer returns the folded ballot to the elector, and places it in the ballot box.

The Ballot

The Election Process After the polls close, the votes are counted by the deputy returning officer and poll clerk. Scrutineers – members of political parties whose candidates are on the ballot - are also present to witness the count. The candidate with the most votes becomes the member of Parliament (MP) for that riding. If the vote count is especially close between candidates, the ballots may be recounted.

Who Can Vote? Qualifying to vote in a federal election is simple, you must be: Canadian citizen Over the age of 18 Same rule applies to provincial and territorial elections. A further requirement that the citizen be a resident of the riding or constituency where the vote is taking place.

Elections in Canada Compared with today, voting at the time of Confederation was undemocratic, and election practices were corrupt. There were also several voting days across Canada instead of one. Denying the franchise (the right to vote) was also used as a weapon against minorities. Women were finally given the right to vote in 1918. Today, the vote has been extended to all Canadian citizens over 18, including inmates and the mentally challenged.

Canada’s Recent Voting History The percentage of Canadian voting in federal elections has been in steady decline for a number of years.

Mandatory Voting Following the 2000 election, Canada’s chief electoral officer said that Parliament might have to pass a law requiring citizens to vote if the rate of voter participation continues to fall. Voter turnout for the 2004 election was little more than 60 percent, the lowest since the election of 1898. According to a 2004 study published in the Canadian Parliamentary Review, the participation rate in Australia, where voting is mandatory, is 94 percent.

Voter Turnout 1967 to Present

Who Can Run For Office? Any citizen that is: 18 years of age Must collect the signatures of 100 other citizens to be nominated Must deposit $ 1,000.00 with an election official called a returning officer Does not have to live in the constituency to represent it Does not have to be a member of a political party

What Do Political Parties Stand For? A political party is built around a central core of beliefs. A party on the left is usually dissatisfied with the present conditions of society. A party on the right is cautious about change, particularly when it comes to government spending and regulation.

What Do Political Parties Stand For? A party at the center combines beliefs from both left and right, depending on the issue. No Canadian party today, can be placed on the extreme left or right. Policies of the main parties often overlap.

Party Leadership Campaign

Political Parties in Canada Political parties are organizations that try to elect individuals to public office to control the machinery of government. For most of Canada’s history, two political parties dominated federal politics: the Liberals and the Conservatives. The Conservatives held power for most of the period from Confederation in 1867 to the early 1900’s. For the most of the 20th century, the Liberal Party held power. A smaller party, the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF) , later named the New Democratic Party (NDP) was formed in the 1930’s.

Majority And Minority Governments To form a majority government, a party must win one-half of Canada’s 338 ridings, plus one more (170). Because Canada has several major parties, it is possible for one party to win more seats than each of the others, but not win a majority of seats. These minority governments must depend on the support of other parties, and any legislation that they propose can be easily defeated.

Two Party and Multiparty Systems If Canada had only two parties, every government would be a majority government (the chance of a tie is remote with 338 seats). The multiparty system offers the public a wider choice of policies, even if it produces less stable minority governments. All of Canada’s provinces and territories follow the party system except one – Nunavut. (Consensus government) With a consensus system, discussion proceeds until all members can come to an agreement.

Interest Groups Voting in an election is not the only way that citizens can make changes in a democracy. Another way is form interest or pressure groups. Interest groups hold private meetings with top civil servants in government, send representatives to parliamentary committees, and advertise in the media to try to influence government. Supporters say that interest groups provide specialized information that representatives need to make important decisions and pass laws.

Electoral Reform Since the 1990’s, groups such as Fair Vote Canada (national), Every Vote Counts (Prince Edward Island), and Mouvement pour une democratic nouvelle (Quebec) have lobbied for electoral reform. A number of factors have contributed to dissatisfaction with Canada’s first-past-the-post system: Lack of representation Declining voter turnout Controversial election results Ineffective opposition Electoral reform is a hot topic across Canada.

Western Initiatives The BC government established the independent British Columbia Citizens Assembly in 2003 to examine the province’s first-past-the-post electoral system and to explore alternatives. In 2004, the Citizens’ Assembly proposed a new electoral system based on proportional representation. The new system would: Give voters more choice and control Strengthen local representation In a 2005 referendum, 57 % voted in favour but 60 % was required to make the results binding on the government. In Manitoba, electoral boundaries are reviewed every 10 years to take into account population shifts.

Referenda A referendum is a form of direct democracy because it allows voters, rather than elected representatives, to vote on a particular issue. Dramatic examples are the Quebec referenda of 1980 and 1995. Whether to separate from the rest of Canada: YEAR NO YES 1980 60% 40% 1995 50.5% 49.5%

Referenda Critics argue that referenda: Undermine the authority of elected representatives in Parliament. Simplify complex issues to a yes or no answer Can be used to convince the rest of the world that the electorate supports the government Can be used against minorities in the name of majority sentiment.

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