Which system of voting does Canada use? Canada uses a voting system called ‘First Past the Post’. The names comes from the sport of horse riding as in horse riding, the horse who passes the post first wins all. Same thing here, the party that wins majority of the ridings gets 100% of power. The other parties get nothing just like in horse race where the second and third gets nothing at all. 2. What are some of the advantages of this system? The citizens have the sense of stability since, this system of voting produces a majority government. They don’t need to stumble between elections due to unstable decisions by minority governments. This method is known to be simple, clear and decisive in majority of the cases. It also gives people a chance to vote a person rather than a political party. Therefore, the voters can evaluate the performance of the individual rather than just have to accept a list of candidates given by a party. 3. What is one of the disadvantages or why are some people suggesting we look at changing Canada’s voting system? …show more content…
This means that the rest of the votes to the other parties are a waste because the other votes aren’t influencing anything now unless it went towards the winner. This discourages many people to vote as they think their votes are being wasted and why vote when they cannot influence anything unless they voted for the winner, which they cannot know before the election is over.This also excludes small parties or less popular individuals as they wouldn’t get a chance due to the winner wins all
Another con of the Electoral college is that it leaves many unrepresented for. Most states are known to lean more toward a given party whether it be Democratic or Republican. Some voters who are of the opposite party might feel as if their vote is unnecessary and unimportant. A voter should not have to feel that way. To feel that because their state is mainly for another party their vote is irrelevant defeats the purpose of an election.
For many years, America’s voting system has been criticized, with the main point of interest being the Electoral College. Some say that the Electoral College is necessary to streamline and simplify the voting process, while others say that it is outdated and takes away power from American citizens. After investigating the subject, it is clear that the Electoral College should be abolished due to the three major defects its critics find in the system; its undemocratic nature, its tendency to give small states’ votes too much power, and its disastrous effects on third-party candidates. The first, and possibly largest, defect in the Electoral College is its undemocratic nature. A professor of political science once said that “the Electoral College violates political equality” (Edwards 453).
The founding fathers of Canada when they put down the agreement of the Confederation did not envisage many cases such as the power of controlling the water sources. There are many differences over the ruling power between the federal government and the provinces, which makes the role of the queen critical in ruling between them (Salter & Hebert, 2014). The second role of the Queen in Canada is leading the crown institutions whose job does not depend on the parties at power, the RCMP, and the Central Bank of Canada are examples of these institutions that are supervised by the Queen and their leaders are nominated by
It allows them to use tactics such as packing and cracking which can have a tremendous impact on elections. Packing is when politicians draw out district maps for each party based on population. Packing can swing the vote because the population of one party could out weight the population of the minority party within the same district, causing the entire district to swing with the majority. Voters feel that the other tactic, cracking, gives them a disadvantage because the political parties are being spread out between multiple districts which causes one district to have the majority party in multiple areas (King, Elizabeth). When the politicians of the party in power have drawn out the voters’ map, they maintain power over the lines of the map.
The main advantage is that it removes the concentration of power from one individual. This ensures that abuse of power is limited. Giving different individuals from varying parties will also result in the creation of checks and balances in the executive. A lieutenant governor from the Democratic Party will be able to check the activities and the undertakings of a Republican governor thus ensuring that they operate within the confines of the law and the powers of their office. Also, the system allows for the introduction or the enforcement of the manifestos held by both parties, thereby resulting in greater benefits to the population.
Abi H. Civic Reflection Issue 1- Change in Point of View: In Canada, voter turnout has become a major issue; as there is a large amount of the population that does not vote in elections. Back in 2008, a total of 58% of the countries` population voted in the election. This is a startling low number, which since has begun to increase only slightly in recent years. In a democratic society, voting is essential for it to function with its full potential. Doing so enacts one of your basic responsibilities as a citizen, as well as shows that you are staying involved in your community and government.
Others argue that it helps to protect everyone’s right to vote and ensure that no one takes someone else’s right. There is a way to make sure everyone is able to vote but their vote is also protected from
They are used in many different countries, would guarantee the President has full support of the people and it would eliminate the Electoral College, a system many view as old and outdated. Also, many countries who use direct elections with popular vote seem relatively happy with their design. Schlesinger has an important take on why direct elections would not function well in the U.S. “Direct-election proposals recognize that ideological and/or personalist parties would drain votes away from the major parties. Consequently, most direct-election proposals provide that, if no candidate receives 40% of the vote, the two top candidates would fight it out in a run-off” (Schlesinger 2000).
This unfamiliarity and thought of the process being confusing deters the younger people from registering to vote in the first place. By removing this process, voters can just show up to cast their votes and move on with their day without worrying about this potentially confusing process. These three methods combined could increase the voter turnout for each
Not having a radical or eccentric people in office prevents large divisions in the US government. This leads into the third main positive aspect of the Electoral College: it presents a more unified nation. The second half of Document E, written by George Will, describes how the Electoral College is important to keeping the appearance of a unified nation. It makes any winning candidate seem like they have the support of most of the US population. This discourages splinter parties from making runs for office.
The Senate in Canada should be abolished Introduction: Canada senate is a part of legislation institution in Canada, which represents the interests of upper class people. Different from America, it is not produced by election but directly-nominated by the premier and appointed by governor. Senate, governor, and the House of Commons are like three legs of a tripod which constitute the congress and legislation system in Canada. Senate undertakes the responsibility of proposing expostulation to governor and cabinet, which acts the role of supervision and restriction. Senate played critical role when Canada established federal government in 1867, the diversity of senators warrants the smooth convey of popular will to governors and legislators coming from different ethnic group and social status.
The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms first came into effect on April 17, 1982. The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms is one part of the Canadian Constitution, created in 1867. The Constitution is a set of laws containing the basic rules about how a country operates. The Charter sets out those rights and freedoms that Canadians believe are necessary in a free and democratic society. The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms is an effective tool to ensure and maintain a just society as it protects the innocence of people, protects and ensures past laws and states fundamental freedoms, all of which work to create a thriving society.
If there was three parties, and one of the parties won the election by a slight ⅓ vote, it would not be a majority of the people. Therefore the country would turn from a democratic republic to a whole different, less inviting arrangement. For example, In Australia, they are run by a Multi-Party system. The Australian Labor Party won with 35% of the popular vote. In Two-Party systems, it needs to be 51%.
"Candidate with the highest number of the vote wins the right to represent the particular seat in the House of Commons", according to CBC news. There are some limitations regarding this method. First of all, it could possibly happen that candidate with less than half vote wins, which means it only reaches minority people's desired outcome. In addition to the tactical voting, the two-party system could be a serious problem. Since only the first matters, candidates with the low possibility to win may exist the election.
Many people believe that the election plays the most important role in democracy. Because a free and fair election holds the government responsible and forces it to behave on voter's interest. However, some scholars find evidence that election itself is not enough to hold politicians responsible if the institutions are not shaping incentives in a correct way. In other words, the role of the election on democracy, whether it helps to serve the interest of the public or specific groups, depends on other political institutions. I