Canada’s Electoral System (Solved)

   

Added on  2021-04-21

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Running head: CANADA’S ELECTORAL SYSTEMDoes Canada needs a new electoral systemName of the Student:Name of the University:Author Note:
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1CANADA’S ELECTORAL SYSTEM“Constitution is not a mere lawyer’s document, it is a vehicle of Life, and its spirit is alwaysthe spirit of Age.”The above quoted lines of B.R. Ambedkar from “Writings And Speeches: A ReadyReference Manual” clearly indicates the meaning of Constitution which forms a basic aspectof the government of all countries. A Constitution is a written or oral document offundamental precedents or principles which guide the governance of a particular nation orcountry1. Almost every Constitution of the world provides provisions for the electoral systemthrough which the citizens can elect their leaders or the government to be more precise.Commenting on the importance of the Electoral system and the role of each citizen within itAlbert Einstein said, “The strength of the Constitution lies entirely in the determination ofeach citizen to defend it. Only if every single citizen feels duty bound to do his share in thisdefense are the constitutional rights secure”2. Therefore, the role which each individual playsin the electoral system is very significant and the exercise of that role is very important forthe achievement of the idea condition of democracy3. The essay intends to shed light on theelectoral system of Canada. The thesis statement of this particular essay is whether thecountry of Canada needs a new electoral system or not.The government of Canada is based on “Constitutional Monarchy” with strongdemocratic traditions4. It is interesting to note that the democracy of Canada is ranked at the6th position among all the nations of the world with an impressive rating of 9.15 out 10, witha turnout percentage of 68.49 during the elections5. In the political system of Canada, the1 Mackie, Thomas T., and Richard Rose.The international almanac of electoral history. Springer, 2016.2 Mackie, Thomas T., and Richard Rose.The international almanac of electoral history. Springer, 2016.3 Forest, Benjamin. "Electoral redistricting and minority political representation in Canada and the UnitedStates."The Canadian Geographer/Le Géographe canadien56, no. 3 (2012): 318-338.4 Bickerton, James, and Alain-G. Gagnon, eds.Canadian politics. University of Toronto Press, 2014.5 Office, Privy. 2018. "Electoral Systems Factsheet - Canada.Ca".Canada.Ca.https://www.canada.ca/en/campaign/electoral-reform/learn-about-canadian-federal-electoral-reform/electoral-
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2CANADA’S ELECTORAL SYSTEMMonarch is the constitutional head of the state6. The Monarch is vested with the power toappoint the Prime Minister but in reality he appoints the leader of the party with the majorityvotes as the Prime Minister of the nation7. The Parliament is divided into two houses- the“House of Commons” and the “Senate”8. There are two major political parties in the nation,namely, “Liberal Party of Canada” and “Conservative Party of Canada”9. However, in thepresent times it is seen that various new political parties like “Bloc Québécois” and “GreenParty of Canada” and others. It is to be noted that "first past the post" system forms the basis of the electoral systemof the country of Canada10. The party with the majority of the votes forms the government.However, it is often seen that one party seldom attains the majority in the general elections.Therefore, majority of the times it is seen that the government is formed by the process ofcoalition. As already mentioned the Parliament of the country consists of two houses- the“House of Common” and the “Senate”11. The “House of Common” consists of the membersselected on the basis on the general elections and they are generally considered to be therepresentatives of the common people. The “Senate” members on the other hand, are selectedby the Governor General of the nations, primary on the recommendation of the PrimeMinister of the nation. Initially, the elections were called in by the Prime Minister of thecountry. However, in the year 2007, the Conservative Parliament of the nation passed asystems-factsheet.html.6 Forest, Benjamin. "Electoral redistricting and minority political representation in Canada and the UnitedStates."The Canadian Geographer/Le Géographe canadien56, no. 3 (2012): 318-338.7 Forest, Benjamin. "Electoral redistricting and minority political representation in Canada and the UnitedStates."The Canadian Geographer/Le Géographe canadien56, no. 3 (2012): 318-338.8 Bickerton, James, and Alain-G. Gagnon, eds.Canadian politics. University of Toronto Press, 2014.9 WILSON, JOHN, and TERENCE QUALTER. 2018. "Canadian Electoral Systems".The CanadianEncyclopedia. http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/electoral-systems/.10 "Canadian Electoral Reform". 2018.Sfu.Ca. https://www.sfu.ca/~aheard/elections/reform.html.11"HouseOfCommons".2018.Ourcommons.Ca.http://www.ourcommons.ca/content/Committee/421/ERRE/Brief/BR8550163/br-external/McCullochStephen-e.pdf.
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