Analyzing Canada's Electoral System: Reform or Maintain?

This essay provides a comprehensive overview of Canada's electoral system. It begins by establishing the importance of the electoral system within a democratic framework, referencing key figures and constitutional principles. The essay details the structure of the Canadian government, including the roles of the Monarch, Parliament (House of Commons and Senate), and major political parties. It explains the 'first past the post' system, coalition governments, and the process of elections. The essay also highlights the voting rights of Canadian citizens, including aboriginals and foreign residents, and the various provisions made to facilitate voting for all citizens, including those with disabilities or living in remote areas. The essay then discusses the principles of equal representation and legitimacy within the Canadian electoral system, citing constitutional statements and historical context. It explores arguments for and against electoral reform, including concerns about minority representation and regional misrepresentation, ultimately concluding that while modifications may be necessary, a complete overhaul of the system is not advisable. The essay emphasizes the importance of maintaining the core structure of the Canadian electoral system to safeguard liberties and promote fairness.

Running head: CANADA’S ELECTORAL SYSTEM
Does Canada needs a new electoral system
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author Note:

1CANADA’S ELECTORAL SYSTEM
“Constitution is not a mere lawyer’s document, it is a vehicle of Life, and its spirit is always
the spirit of Age.”
The above quoted lines of B.R. Ambedkar from “Writings And Speeches: A Ready
Reference Manual” clearly indicates the meaning of Constitution which forms a basic aspect
of the government of all countries. A Constitution is a written or oral document of
fundamental precedents or principles which guide the governance of a particular nation or
country1. Almost every Constitution of the world provides provisions for the electoral system
through 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 it
Albert Einstein said, “The strength of the Constitution lies entirely in the determination of
each citizen to defend it. Only if every single citizen feels duty bound to do his share in this
defense are the constitutional rights secure”2. Therefore, the role which each individual plays
in the electoral system is very significant and the exercise of that role is very important for
the achievement of the idea condition of democracy3. The essay intends to shed light on the
electoral system of Canada. The thesis statement of this particular essay is whether the
country of Canada needs a new electoral system or not.
The government of Canada is based on “Constitutional Monarchy” with strong
democratic traditions4. It is interesting to note that the democracy of Canada is ranked at the
6th position among all the nations of the world with an impressive rating of 9.15 out 10, with
a turnout percentage of 68.49 during the elections5. In the political system of Canada, the
1 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 United
States." The Canadian Geographer/Le Géographe canadien 56, 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-

2CANADA’S ELECTORAL SYSTEM
Monarch is the constitutional head of the state6. The Monarch is vested with the power to
appoint the Prime Minister but in reality he appoints the leader of the party with the majority
votes 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 the
present times it is seen that various new political parties like “Bloc Québécois” and “Green
Party of Canada” and others.
It is to be noted that "first past the post" system forms the basis of the electoral system
of 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 of
coalition. 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 members
selected on the basis on the general elections and they are generally considered to be the
representatives of the common people. The “Senate” members on the other hand, are selected
by the Governor General of the nations, primary on the recommendation of the Prime
Minister of the nation. Initially, the elections were called in by the Prime Minister of the
country. However, in the year 2007, the Conservative Parliament of the nation passed a
systems-factsheet.html.
6 Forest, Benjamin. "Electoral redistricting and minority political representation in Canada and the United
States." The Canadian Geographer/Le Géographe canadien 56, no. 3 (2012): 318-338.
7 Forest, Benjamin. "Electoral redistricting and minority political representation in Canada and the United
States." The Canadian Geographer/Le Géographe canadien 56, 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 Canadian
Encyclopedia. http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/electoral-systems/.
10 "Canadian Electoral Reform". 2018. Sfu.Ca. https://www.sfu.ca/~aheard/elections/reform.html.
11 "House Of Commons". 2018. Ourcommons.Ca.
http://www.ourcommons.ca/content/Committee/421/ERRE/Brief/BR8550163/br-external/McCullochStephen-
e.pdf.

3CANADA’S ELECTORAL SYSTEM
dictum according to which the elections were to be conducted after an interval of every 4
years12. In line with the dictum of Larry J. Sabato given in the book “Pendulum Swing”,
“Every election is determined by the people who show up”, Canada is one of the few nations
of the world where the majority of the few people believe in exercising their fundamental
rights13. It is to be noted that the number of representatives in the “House of Commons” from
a particular region depends on the population of that region, the size of that particular region
and also the economic links of that region. The aboriginals as well as the Indians also get
representation in the “House of Commons”. The job of conducting the elections is imbued
with the “Office of the Chief Electoral Officer”, also called by the name of “Elections
Canada” 14.
It is to be noted that the electoral system of Canada is a flexible one in comparison to
the other nations of the world. All the citizens of the nations above the age of 18 years are
eligible to vote in the elections. It is to be noted that until 1970, the government had a rule
according to which only the citizens over the age of 21 years were eligible to vote in the
general elections15. According to the Constitution of the nation, “The franchise – the right to
vote for one’s representative – is the fundamental political right. It produces the most direct
verdict by citizens on the performance of those who govern them. It is … “the key stone in
the arch of the modern system of political rights in this country””16. Therefore, the
government provides equal voting rights to all its citizens. The government also takes into
consideration the voting rights of the aboriginals and various other entities for the elections. It
12 "House Of Commons". 2018. Ourcommons.Ca.
http://www.ourcommons.ca/content/Committee/421/ERRE/Brief/BR8550163/br-external/McCullochStephen-
e.pdf.
13 "Canadian Electoral Reform". 2018. Sfu.Ca. https://www.sfu.ca/~aheard/elections/reform.html.
14 "Canadian Electoral Reform". 2018. Sfu.Ca. https://www.sfu.ca/~aheard/elections/reform.html.
15 "Elections Canada". 2018. Elections.Ca. http://elections.ca/res/rec/part/paper/aboriginal/aboriginal_e.pdf.
16 "Elections Canada". 2018. Elections.Ca. http://elections.ca/res/rec/part/paper/aboriginal/aboriginal_e.pdf.

4CANADA’S ELECTORAL SYSTEM
is to be noted that the government of Canada provides voting rights to the Indians and others
foreign people living over there provided that they forfeit their natural citizenship of their
motherland. The comment of Gerald Alfred is interesting to note in this particular context, “It
has been said that being born Indian is being born into politics. I believe this to be true;
because being born a Mohawk of Kahnawake, I do not remember a time free from the impact
of political conflict”17. The voting process of the elections conducted by the government of
Canada has been designed taking into consideration the comfort level of the various entities
of the country. The citizens can go to the various polling booths to cast their votes. In
addition to that for the medically disabled people as well as the ones who are hospitalized
there are stipulations by means of which they can cast their votes through online means in the
presence of representative election officers. In case of people who are even unable to avail
the services of the online voting system and who are residing in the far off places the election
commission even provides provisions wherein they can cast their votes at a later date during
the “advanced polls”18. In addition to this, at the polling booth there are officials speaking
both English and French languages in a bid to help the voters. These are some of the rare
features which rarely any nation provides to its citizens.
The Constitution of Canada provides for the equal representation of all the entities of
the nation. According to the Constitution, “The electoral system should have the confidence
of Ontarians and reflect their values”. This statement speaks volumes about the policy of
equal representation followed by the government of Canada for the selection of the
representatives. It is to be noted that legitimacy is one of the most important features of the
electoral system of Canada. According to the Constitution, “legitimacy is the result or
consequence of a good electoral system”. Therefore, the government of Canada seeks to
promote the legitimacy of the electoral system through the policy of equal representation of
17 "Elections Canada". 2018. Elections.Ca. http://elections.ca/res/rec/part/paper/aboriginal/aboriginal_e.
18 "Elections Canada". 2018. Elections.Ca. http://elections.ca/res/rec/part/paper/aboriginal/aboriginal_e.

5CANADA’S ELECTORAL SYSTEM
all its entities. Commenting on the aspect of equal representation, the Constitution of the
nation says that “The Legislative Assembly should reflect the population of Ontario in
accordance with demographic representation, proportionality and representation by
population among other factors”. Therefore, the elected personnels of the “House of
Commons” indicate the overall makeup of the population of that particular province in terms
of cultural identity, ethnicity, gender, class, economy and various other parameters19. The
Elections Canada in order to encourage the participation of the aboriginals in the elections in
the year 2006 launched a campaign with the slogan “I can choose to make a difference. I can
vote”20. In the opinion of B.R. Ambedkar, “It is not enough to be electors only. It is necessary
to be law-makers; otherwise those who can be law-makers will be the masters of those who
can only be electors”. Therefore, the Canadian electoral system provides provision for the
equal voting rights for all its citizens, irrespective of their gender, ethnicity, education and
various other attributes and also provides equal opportunity to the candidates for participating
in the general elections21. It is to be noted that the candidates participating in the elections can
participate on behalf of any of the political parties or they can even participate in the elections
as individual members as well. Another important fact to be noted about the Canadian
electoral system is the proportionality system which it follows for the selection of the
representatives in the “House of Commons”. The number of representatives elected to the
“House of Commons” from a particular region or area is directly proportional to the total
population as well as the area of that region. Therefore, each of the votes casted by the voters
holds significance for the candidates participating in the general elections. This policy has
19 Kohut, Tania. 2018. "What Trudeau Said: A Look Back At Liberal Promises On Electoral Reform". Global
News. https://globalnews.ca/news/3102270/justin-trudeau-liberals-electoral-reform-changing-promises/.
20 "Your Vote Should Count". 2018. Broadbent Institute. http://www.broadbentinstitute.ca/electoral_reform.
21 Joseph, Rebecca. 2018. "Canada Is A ‘Full’ Democracy, U.S. Is Not: Report". Global News.
https://globalnews.ca/news/3999377/canada-us-democracy-2017/.

6CANADA’S ELECTORAL SYSTEM
been designed as per the dictum of Abraham Lincoln according to whom “The ballot is
stronger than the bullet”22.
There are people, on the other hand, who consider that the electoral system should be
modified as it does not cater to all the needs as well as the requirements of the people. These
people use the argument of Euripides from his play “Orestes” to justify their arguments,
“When one with honeyed words but evil mind
Persuades the mob, great woes befall the state”
The major bone of contention for these people is the “first past the rope” policy used by the
electoral system of Canada for the selection of the party which would form the government23.
Another argument used by them is the multiple riding policy used by the electoral system24.
These people even feel that the minorities do not get adequate representation in the elections
and in the “House of Commons”. They are even of the opinion that there is a certain amount
of regional misrepresentation in the elections and even in the “House of Commons”25.
According to DaShanne Stokes, “Free elections don't always result in fair elections”26.
Therefore, they repudiate the present electoral system of the nation of Canada. However, it is
to be noted that the electoral system of Canada is one of the most innovated ones among the
various countries of the world and the nations is considered as one of the premier ones which
practices the various precepts of the concept of democracy. It is to be noted that the “first past
the rope” policy used by the Canadian government is one of the most fair ones, which gives
22 Joseph, Rebecca. 2018. "Canada Is A ‘Full’ Democracy, U.S. Is Not: Report". Global News.
https://globalnews.ca/news/3999377/canada-us-democracy-2017/.
23 Bowler, Shaun, and Todd Donovan. The limits of electoral reform. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2013.
24 "Citizens Assembly". 2018. Citizensassembly.Gov.On.Ca.
http://www.citizensassembly.gov.on.ca/en-CA/docs/Introductory/Principles%20and%20Characteristics%20of
%20Electoral%20Systems.pdf.
25 Bowler, Shaun, and Todd Donovan. The limits of electoral reform. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2013.
26 Bowler, Shaun, and Todd Donovan. The limits of electoral reform. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2013.

7CANADA’S ELECTORAL SYSTEM
priority to the choices of the people and is in use in most of the major democratic countries of
the world27. It is true there are instances in which the minority people do not get equal amount
of representation in the “House of Commons” but those instances are very rare and the
electoral system has special provisions which ensure that such instances do not happen on a
regular basis. Moreover, changing the electoral system and making it from the grass root
level would not only incur a huge amount of capital but would also lead to a significant
drainage of the resources of the nations. In the opinion of Abraham Lincoln, “Don't interfere
with anything in the Constitution. That must be maintained, for it is the only safeguard of our
liberties”28. Thus, it is advisable not to change the overall electoral system of the nation but
rather to modify it as per the changing needs as well as the requirements of the people.
Therefore, from the above discussion it becomes clear that the electoral system of
Canada is a very fair one and provides equal opportunities to all its citizens. The electoral
system also safeguards the liberty of the people and also takes into consideration the various
changing needs as well as the requirements of the people and also the changing global
scenario. The electoral system also safeguards the democracy of the nations and it is very
important not for the nation but for the entire world as Canada is one of the major supporter
of the system of democracy.
27 Ahmed, Amel. Democracy and the politics of electoral system choice: engineering electoral dominance.
Cambridge University Press, 2013.
28 Ahmed, Amel. Democracy and the politics of electoral system choice: engineering electoral dominance.
Cambridge University Press, 2013.

8CANADA’S ELECTORAL SYSTEM
References
"Canadian Electoral Reform". 2018. Sfu.Ca.
https://www.sfu.ca/~aheard/elections/reform.html.
"Citizens Assembly". 2018. Citizensassembly.Gov.On.Ca.
http://www.citizensassembly.gov.on.ca/en-CA/docs/Introductory/Principles%20and
%20Characteristics%20of%20Electoral%20Systems.pdf.
"Elections Canada". 2018. Elections.Ca.
http://elections.ca/res/rec/part/paper/aboriginal/aboriginal_e.pdf.
"House Of Commons". 2018. Ourcommons.Ca.
http://www.ourcommons.ca/content/Committee/421/ERRE/Brief/BR8550163/br-external/
McCullochStephen-e.pdf.
"Your Vote Should Count". 2018. Broadbent Institute.
http://www.broadbentinstitute.ca/electoral_reform.
Ahmed, Amel. Democracy and the politics of electoral system choice: engineering electoral
dominance. Cambridge University Press, 2013.
Bickerton, James, and Alain-G. Gagnon, eds. Canadian politics. University of Toronto Press,
2014.
Bowler, Shaun, and Todd Donovan. The limits of electoral reform. Oxford: Oxford
University Press, 2013.
Forest, Benjamin. "Electoral redistricting and minority political representation in Canada and
the United States." The Canadian Geographer/Le Géographe canadien 56, no. 3 (2012): 318-
338.

9CANADA’S ELECTORAL SYSTEM
Joseph, Rebecca. 2018. "Canada Is A ‘Full’ Democracy, U.S. Is Not: Report". Global News.
https://globalnews.ca/news/3999377/canada-us-democracy-2017/.
Kohut, Tania. 2018. "What Trudeau Said: A Look Back At Liberal Promises On Electoral
Reform". Global News. https://globalnews.ca/news/3102270/justin-trudeau-liberals-electoral-
reform-changing-promises/.
Mackie, Thomas T., and Richard Rose. The international almanac of electoral history.
Springer, 2016.
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-systems-factsheet.html.
WILSON, JOHN, and TERENCE QUALTER. 2018. "Canadian Electoral Systems". The
Canadian Encyclopedia. http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/electoral-
systems/.