The Canadian political system is not perfect. Though our country is in many ways an international leader in democratic rights and values, there remains room for a great deal of improvement in the current political climate. With voter turnout slumping to its lowest levels in Canadian history, and political cynicism becoming a defining characteristic of the electorate, it is clear that in a number of of facets our political system is coming up short.
This 'Democratic Deficit' (as it is often called), refers to the perceived loss of political input experienced by significant portions of a given population. Though some would debate whether or not this is truly taking place in Canada, there is no questioning that it is the reason why Canadian politicians and academics alike have increasingly been investigating possible reforms (specifically, electoral reforms) which could make our system of government more accessible.
The question remains though, would altering the electoral system in Canada actually result in increased voter turnout? One could argue that the confusions created by implementing a new system would result in decreased turnout, but this effect would likely resolve itself quite quickly. All logistical problems aside, the answer still seems to be a resounding "no". While implementing a system such as Proportional Representation could allow some to believe that their vote is of greater value, recent citizens' forums hosted by the Harper government found overwhelmingly that Canadians believe that the ideal electoral system is one "which produces clear winners". Subsequently, it seems that Canadians are not ready to get rid of First-Past-the-Post just yet.
Furthermore, another suggestion which has become quite prominent among Canadian political scientists is to implement mandatory voting similar to the Australian system. Though this would drastically increase voter turnout, would this really be combating the 'Democratic Deficit'? Democracy is not all about getting people out to the polls, its about citizens truly believing that their opinion is important to their representatives in government, and the political system as a whole. Mandatory voting would ultimately not achieve this as the disconnect would still remain. Thus, it seems that our politicians are yet to find the answer, and the longer they take the more apparent it will become whether or not the 'Democratic Deficit' actually exists.
Check out the following link to see the results of a live chat hosted by The Globe and Mail on the prospects of electoral reform in Canada and combating the 'Democratic Deficit':
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/time-to-lead/does-canada-have-a-democracy-deficit/article1846274/
