Chapter 9

In 2003 Iraq held its first real election in more than 30 years?

Despite threats of terrorism there was a very good turn out to vote...

Would you take the risk to vote? Why might terrorists not want people to

vote? Why is it so important to the people of Iraq? What about Afghanistan?

“Democracy is the process by which people choose the man who’ll get the blame” –B. Russell

Voting is the single most important thing you can do in a Representative Democracy

Used to be that most small communities (Like Ancient Greece) had “Direct Democracy”

Checks on Representatives Powers Candidates will make promises to the electorate It’s important to have frequent elections so that

representatives listen to the people Canada has to have one every 5 years

The Election Process The PM gets to decide when the election happens (as

long as it is within 5 years The PM asks the Governor General to Call an election–

then within 36 days it goes down Notices are sent out to the 308 ridings along with ballots

and ballot boxes– also, everyone starts campaigning Parties start to promote their PLATFORMS There are laws in place to ensure that the media gets the

platforms out, that voting is fair, and that people get the opportunity to vote

Elections have changed in Canada

Used to be that only 21 year or older white British males were allowed to vote

The government (the party in power) could have certain ridings hold their elections early to make it seem like it was winning to influence people to vote for it

Balloting was not secret– they could see who you voted for!

The government used to be able to deny Franchise (right to vote) to groups it didn’t think would support it

Canada’s Recent Voting Record has not been good

In 2000 they actually considered making voting mandatory– if you didn’t, you could be arrested!

Canada’s voter turn out is hovering around 60-65% which is one of the worst for industrialized nations...

Where voting is mandatory, like Australia, voting percentage is usually closer to 90-95%

Who Can Run For Office?

Any Canadian Citizen who is... 18 years old or older Has at least 100 signatures on a nomination

form Deposits 1000$ with an election official. Lives in Canada Can be a member of a political party, but if

not is an “Independent”

What do Political Parties Stand For?

A political party is based on a set of core beliefs

These are split between “Left”, “Right”, and “Center”

A good way to understand the difference is to consider attitudes towards change... A Party on the left does not like the status quo– wants to

change A party on the right is cautious about change, especially

when it comes to regulation and spending. It also likes tradition, religion, military, and police

A Party in the center likes the status quo but will make changes where it seems like a good idea

A political party is an organization of people with similar beliefs

It tries to elect representatives to government who will help it control the country

Most democracies do not mention these parties in their constitution (they have no real power other than that they represent voters)

For much of our history the Liberals and Conservatives have dominated politics Conservatives from 1867 to the early 1900s Liberals for most of the 20th century (1900-2000)

Majority and Minority Governments

A Majority government has 155 or more of the 308 seats in Parliament

Therefore, it can put its plans in motion as long as all party members vote with the rest of the party

If a vote fails, the PM and cabinet must resign and an election is caused. (No confidence)

A Minority government is when a party has the most seats, but not more than 155

In this situation, a government can easily fall since it has to be careful about negotiating with other parties

It must rely on other parties to help it pass its bills

Two-Party and Multi-Party Systems Canada has a multi-party system where there are

various parties who all function within the government

In the United States there is a Two Party System The Republican and Democrats are the only real options This system is stable since there is always a majority Does not allow for much choice, however

Many nations that used to use the 2 party system now have multi-party systems, like us Great Britain, New Zealand, Australia

Problems with Our System... Lack of Representation

Critics say that people who vote for a small party that does not win any seats are not represented

Declining Voter Turnout Since 1988 voter turnout has been falling People might vote more if parties got seats based on their

percentage of the popular vote

Controversial Election Results In BC in 1996 the NDP won the election and formed a

government... But the Liberals had more of the popular vote!

In Quebec the Liberals lost to the Bloc even though they had more votes...

How does this happen?

Ineffective Opposition

Referenda A referendum is a form of Direct Democracy

It allows voters to vote directly for a set of alternatives Like the Quebec Separation referendum in 1995

Critics have some problems with Referenda... Undermines the authority of the elected government Over simplifies complex issues Can be used to wrongfully convince the world that

the government has support Benefits the majority