Liberalism Through Democratic Systems Representative Democracy Parliamentary Democracy Republican Democracy

Techniques of Representative Democracy Representation by Population ( Rep. By Pop ) every citizens vote is approximately equal to every other citizens vote. ( map on electoral districts. P. 340 ) Periodic elections: must be held within a definite maximum intervals: 5 years ( most elections in Canada are held every 4 years. ) 4 years in the USA Secret Ballot Independent Courts: separate from the Federal Government

Political power in a democracy is shared among all people in society

Parliamentary Democracy

Separation of powers among branches of government Periodic election Multiple parties Separation of powers among branches of government Periodic election Accountability of Elected Representatives Independent media Independent Judiciary Rule of law PAGE 339

Citizens in a representative democracy have a responsibility. Voting Forming new political parties ( the Green Party) Voicing opinions through the media Participating in public demonstrations, rallies or protests Running for office Attending public meetings Keeping informed

Recall election A recall election (also called a recall referendum or is a procedure by which voters can remove an elected official from office through a direct vote or plebiscite, initiated when sufficient voters sign a petition.

Canada’s Parliamentary System

House of Commons Seating Plan http://www.parl.gc.ca/parliamentarians/en/floorplan

Senate Seating Plan http://www.parl.gc.ca/ParlBusiness/Senate/SeatingPlan/SenateSeatingPlan.pdf Conservative Party of Canada 54 Liberal Party of Canada 31 Independent 6 Brazeau, Cools, Duffy, McCoy, Rivest, Wallin Vacant seats 14 British Columbia (1), Manitoba (3), Nova Scotia (2), Ontario (4), Prince Edward Island (1), Quebec (3) TOTAL 105

Powers of Government: Checks and balances

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Voting In Canada http://www.elections.ca/content.aspx?section=res&dir=ces&document=part1&lang=e

Representation Formula RIDING CHANGES 2014 http://www.elections.ca/content.aspx?section=res&dir=cir/red/allo&document=index&lang=e Representation Formula http://www.elections.ca/content.aspx?section=res&dir=cir/red/form&document=index&lang=e

Maps of electoral districts by province http://www.elections.ca/content.aspx?section=res&dir=cir/maps&document=index&lang=e Electoral map for Alberta http://www.elections.ca/res/cir/maps2/map.asp?type=prov&map=AB&lang=e Federal Riding / constituency of Lethbridge Current party standings by province http://www.parl.gc.ca/parliamentarians/en/partystandings

Electing MP’s & the Prime Minister General Election -- PM calls on the Gov. Gen. to dissolve parliament. Generally 6 weeks Held on Monday System of electing candidates is plurality voting --- “first past the post” or simple plurality Candidate with greatest number / plurality of votes win. Leader of the Party with the most elected candidates becomes the prime minster.

The government has lost its mandate to govern when It loses a vote on an appropriation bill ( government spending) a taxation bill or annual budget A motion of confidence is rejected (usually when you a have a minority government)

“Is First-Past-The-Post” effective? Only 25 out of the 308 winning candidates in the 2008 election were elected with a majority of the votes cast in their ridings. 41 of the winners were elected with less than 40% of the vote.

Losing parties are under represented Great Britain, Canada, India Single- Member Constituency or single vote Is it the best method of electing our government? “Winning party is over represented. Example . 2000 election : the Liberals win 172 seats ( 57.1 %) with 41% of the popular vote Losing parties are under represented Great Britain, Canada, India

Figure 10-8 p.340 Is it fair that urban voters are under-represented in comparison with rural voters? Can you think of reasons why population is the main criterion used in determining ridings?

Is “First-Past-The-Post” effective? Advantages Disadvantages

“Is First-Past-The-Post” effective? Advantages Disadvantages Less time required to pass bills. It excludes extremist parties from representation in the legislature. It promotes a link between constituents and their representatives, as it produces a legislature made up of representatives of geographical areas. It allows voters to choose between people rather than just between parties. It gives a chance for popular independent candidates to be elected. This may be particularly important in developing party systems Finally, FPTP systems are particularly praised for being simple to use and understand It excludes smaller parties from ‘fair’ representation It excludes minorities from fair representation It can encourage the development of political parties based on clan, ethnicity or region It leaves a large number of wasted votes which do not go towards the election of any candidate. It can cause vote-splitting. It may be unresponsive to changes in public opinion