Majority vs. Minority Governments

After reading a recent poll that suggested that the Harper Conservatives are heading down the path to a majority, I decided it would be a good time to discuss what minority and majority governments mean for the Canadian political system.

After decades of being a majority driven country, Canada has spent the better half of the last decade in minority governments. Ultimately this has been met with mixed reviews: many have been critical about the slowed political process, though most political scientists praise the effect minorities have on democracy as more individuals can have a say in policy formulation. Overall Canadians have been displeased with the minority trend. Polls regarding electoral reform have shown that the primary concern of the average Canadian is implementing a system that produces definitive winners. This obvious backlash against minority politics provides clear evidence of Canada’s disdain for increased arguing in the House of Commons, as well as the greater frequency of elections that accompany minority governments.

That being said, are the democratic advantages associated with minority governments truly worth the accompanying hassles and annoyances? In short, no. The advantages to democracy tend to be only symbolic which ultimately does not resonate with Canadians. The average citizen is more likely to be concerned with pragmatism than symbolism which works against minorities. Thus, minority governments create a disconnect between the average citizen and the political system.

Unfortunately there is little point to this debate. Whether we have majority or minority governments is ultimately out of our control and we are pretty much stuck with whatever we get. According to this poll however, it seems this trend may be coming to an end.

For the poll that brought me unto this topic, check out the link below:

http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/945363--conservatives-looking-at-a-majority-new-poll-shows?bn=1