March 23, 2010
Canadian Political Representation in Comparative Context
This Mowat Note finds that violations of rep-by-pop are significantly greater in Canada than in other comparable federations around the world.
This Mowat Note examines how closely Canada’s system of political representation adheres to the principle of representation by population. It compares Canada’s performance in this area to other advanced democracies with federal systems. The research shows that the Canadian approach does not live up to internationally accepted democratic standards. The principle of citizen equality, according to which citizens should have roughly comparable voting power, is violated to a far greater extent in Canada than in Australia, Germany, Switzerland or the United States. Unless Canadian laws are changed, the inequality of the current system will worsen and the voting power of citizens will increasingly depend on which province they live in.
Introduction
This Mowat Note examines how closely Canada’s system of political representation adheres to the principle of representation by population. It compares Canada’s performance in this area to other advanced democracies with federal systems. The research shows that the Canadian approach does not live up to internationally accepted democratic standards. The principle of citizen equality, according to which citizens should have roughly comparable voting power, is violated to a far greater extent in Canada than in Australia, Germany, Switzerland or the United States. Unless Canadian laws are changed, the inequality of the current system will worsen and the voting power of citizens will increasingly depend on which province they live in.
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