Minority government could be good for our democracy
Posted: Mon Oct 12, 2015 9:05 amMinority government could be good for our democracy
[ http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-de ... e26761611/ ]
By Prof Maxwell Cameron Last updated Monday, Oct. 12, 2015 8:00AM EDT
In the end, a minority government might better represent the majority of Canadians. It could accomplish substantial progress in the areas where the programs of the parties align: economic measures to strengthen the middle class, a more multilateral and less belligerent foreign policy, action on climate change, and electoral reform, to name a few.
If our leaders act in a spirit of co-operation, a minority Parliament could actually restore the independence and integrity between the government and the legislature, and give greater say to our elected representatives. It would inoculate our politics against the hyper-partisanship that has infected it.
Co-operation could be good for our democracy, our country and for us. It is exactly the kind of sunshine needed to clear the fog.
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Maxwell A. Cameron, Professor of Political Science at the University of British Columbia and the Director of the Centre for the Study of Democratic Institutions and author of a new white paper entitled, Trust and Confidence: Post-Election Cooperation in Parliament. You can find him on Twitter @MaxwellACameron.
[ http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-de ... e26761611/ ]
By Prof Maxwell Cameron Last updated Monday, Oct. 12, 2015 8:00AM EDT
In the end, a minority government might better represent the majority of Canadians. It could accomplish substantial progress in the areas where the programs of the parties align: economic measures to strengthen the middle class, a more multilateral and less belligerent foreign policy, action on climate change, and electoral reform, to name a few.
If our leaders act in a spirit of co-operation, a minority Parliament could actually restore the independence and integrity between the government and the legislature, and give greater say to our elected representatives. It would inoculate our politics against the hyper-partisanship that has infected it.
Co-operation could be good for our democracy, our country and for us. It is exactly the kind of sunshine needed to clear the fog.
----
Maxwell A. Cameron, Professor of Political Science at the University of British Columbia and the Director of the Centre for the Study of Democratic Institutions and author of a new white paper entitled, Trust and Confidence: Post-Election Cooperation in Parliament. You can find him on Twitter @MaxwellACameron.