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NOTE TO USERS This reproduction is the best copy available. UMI REVISITING DEMOCRACY: CANADA'S QUEST FOR A MORE PARTICIPATORY FORM OF REPRESENTATIVE GOVERNMENT RONALD A. KNYSZYNSKI A TKESIS IN THE DEPARTMENT OF POLITICAL SCIENCE PRESENTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS CONCORDIA UNIVERSITY MONTREAL, QUEBEC, CANADA APm 2000 O RONALD A. KNYSZYNSKI, 2000 National Library Bibliothèque nationale 1S.I of Canada du Canada Acquisitions and Acquisitions et Bibiiographic Services services bibliographiques 395 Wellington Street 395, nie Wellington On;iwaON KlAON4 OnawaON K1AW canada Canada The author has granted a non- L'auteur a accordé une licence non exclusive licence allowing the exclusive permettant à la National Library of Canada to Bibliothèque nationale du Canada de reproduce, loan, distribute or seli reproduire, prêter, dismbuer ou copies of this thesis in microform, vendre des copies de cette thèse sous paper or electronic formats. la forme de microfiche/fïim, de reproduction sur papier ou sur format électronique. The author retains ownership of the L'auteur conserve la propriété du copyright in this thesis. Neither the droit d'auteur qui protège cette thèse. thesis nor substantial extracts fiom it Ni la thèse ni des extraits substantiels may be printed or otherwise de celle-ci ne doivent être impiimés reproduced without the author's ou autrement reproduits sans son permission. autorisation. ABSTRACT REVISITING DEMOCRACY: CANADA'S QüEST FOR A MORE PARTICIPATORY FORM OF REPRESENTATIVE GOVERNMENT RONALD A. KNYSZYNSKI This treatise is a political exploration of Canadian legislative and representational institutions and why they are not performing in the way the y should be. In an effort to promote a citizen based democracy and avoid the Merdeterioration in relations between govemment and the citizens they daim to represent, four institutional and Iegislative reforms are suggested in an effort to reconcile basic democratic principles with realities of Canadian political life. These reforms are: 1) recall, 2) Ioosening party discipline and introducing more votes, 3) referendums, and 4) electoral reforrn. Although it is hypothesized that al1 four reforms would provide Canadians with a more participatory form of representative government, empirical and qualitative evidence reveals that these hopes are certainly delusive and must be re-examined. Instead, it is concluded that loosening party discipline and introducing more votes coupled with reforming the electoral system have the greatest chance of creating a more vibrant democracy in which governments would still exert necessary leadership on policy issues while citizens would be given necessary opportunities to participate in the political process. Unfortunately, as positive as this form of inclusionary politics sounds, reality dictates that unless both sides adopt different attitudes as to the true meaning of representative democracy, Canada's quest for a more participatory form of representative govemment will fail. DEDICATION THIS THESIS IS DEDICATED TO THE LOVING MEMORY OF MY FATHER ELIASZ (ALEX) WHOSE COURAGE AND PERSEVERANCE IN THE FACE OF ILLNESS SERVE AS A BEACON OF LIGHT EACH DAY OF MY LIFE TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION: CHAPTER ONE: THEORES OF PARLMMEIITARY DEMOCRICY CWTERTWO: RECALL CHAPTER THREE: P.4RTY DISCIPLLNE AiFREE VOTES CHAPTER FOUR: REFERELYDUMS CRAPTER FIVE: ELECTOUL SYSTEM CONCLUSION: BLBLIOGRAPHY: NO ONE PR.ETENDS THAT DEMOCRACY IS PERFECT OR AL.L-WISE. INDEED, IT HAS BEEN SAID THAT DEMOCRACY IS THE WORST FORM OF GOVERNMENT, EXCEFT FOR THOSE OTHER FORMS THAT HAVE BEEN TRED FROM TlME TO TiME. - WMSTON CHURCHILL IT IS IN VAIN TO SUMMON A PEOPLE, WHO HAVE BEEN RENDERED SO DEPENDENT ON THE CENTRAL POWER, TO CHOOSE FROM TIME TO TWTHE REPEESENTATIVES OF THAT POLVER; THIS RARE AND BREF EXERCISE OF THEiR FREE CHOICE, HOWEVER KMPORTANT IT MAY BE, WILL NOT PREVENT THEM FROM GRADUALLY LOSING THE FACùZTIES OF THIHKiNG, FEELING,A?.?. ACTING FOR THEMSELVES,AND THUS GRADUALLY FALLXNG BELOW THE LEVEL OF EWbiANITY. - ALEXIS DE TOCQL'EVILLE THERE ARE PERHAPS FE W MEN WHO CAN FOR ANY GREAT LENGTH OF TIME ENJOY OFFICE AND POWER, WlTHOüT BEING MORE OR LESS UNDER THE NFLLENCE OF FEELINGS UNFAVOURGBLE TO THE FAlTHFUL DISCHARGE OF THEIR Pb'BLIC DUTLES. THEIR INTEGRITY MAY BE PROOF AGAINST WROPER CONSIDERATIONS MMEDIATELY ADDRESSED TO THEMSELVES; BUT THEY ARE APT TO ACQUTRE A HABIT OF LOOKNG WITH INDEFERENCE UPON THE PUBLIC iiUTERESTS, AND OF TOLERATING COhDUCT FRO-M WCHtLhi UNPR4CTICED MAN WOLZD REVOLT. OFFICE IS COlYSIDERED AS A SPECES OF PROPERTY; AND GOVERNMENT RATHER AS A MEANS OF PROMOTING iNûWIDUAL MTERESTS THAN AS AN INSTRLJMENTCREATED SOLELY FOR THE SERVICE OF THE PEOPLE. CORRUPTION IN SOME AND IX OTHERS A PERVERSION OF CORRECT FEELWGS AND PFUNCIPLES DNERT GOVERNMENT FROM ITS LEGrIlMATE ENDS, AND hWIT AN ENGINE FOR THE SUPPORT OF THE FEW AT THE EXPENSE OF THE MANY. - AMIREW JACKSON bi EVERY GOVERNMENT ON EARTH IS SOME TRACE OF HUMAN 'IKEAKNESS,SOME GERM OF CORRUPTION AND DEGENERACY, WHICH ClJNMNG WILL DISCOVER, WICKEDNESS INSENSIBLY OPEN, CULTIVATE, AND WROVE. EVERY GOVERNMENT DEGENERATES WHEN TRUSTED TO THE RULERS OF THE PEOPLE ALONE. - THOMAS JEFFERSON 1 KNOW OF NO SAFE DEPOSITORY OF THE ULTIMATE POWER OF THE SOCIETY BUT THE PEOPLE THEMSELVES, AND IF WE THINK THEM NOT ENLIGHTENED ENOUGH TO EXERCISE THEIR CONTROL WITH A WHOLESOME DISCRETION, THE REMEDY tS NOT TO TAKE IT FROM THEM, BUT TO INFORM THEIR DISCRETION. - THOMAS JEFFERSON THE MkTORlTY OF THE PMPEOPLE WILL DAY IN AND DAY OUT MAKE FEWER MISTAIES IN GOVERNING THEIvSELVES THAN ANY SMALLER BODY OF iMEN WKLL MAKE iN TRYING TO GOVERN THEM. - THEODORE ROOSEVELT INTRODUCTION As Canadians enter the 2 lRCentury, they are increasingly facing a crisis in their democracy and representative institutions. This gradua1 deterioration of Canadian democracy and consequent rise of citizen disenchantment and disiilusionment have led some critics to cal1 for an overhaul of Canada's democratic institutions with the specific intent of eliminating its democratic deficit. Increased levels of alienation and cynicism necessitate a concerted effort to b~gCanadian political institutions down to the lowest level, that of the 5tizm. It is this grassroots approach which remains central to the battle against Canada's on-going malaise of institutional inertia. Looking back at recent Canadian history reveals that several events have occurred which have contributed to Canada's c&is of political legitirnacy. Part of the reason why Canada fkds itself at a Cemocratic crossroads is that successive administrations have chosen policy routes which conflict with both their own parties as well as the country as a whole. Examples of these policies are but are not limited to: the introduction of the Free Trade Agreement (F.T.A.), the Goods and Services Tax (G.S.T.), Meech Lake. the CharIottetown Accord, and the recent Hepatitis C controversy. What these policies and constitutional attempts revealed was that the Canadian public was either against the ideas or was not sufîïciently informed about the policy intentions of the govement of the day. By not being central cogs in the decision-making process, disempowered Canadians will continue to feel disconnected fiom an exclusionary political process. This exclusion in the form of an executive dominance mut be arrested lest we remain a stunted democracy with little or no hopes of fostering a sense of civic pride andor citizenship. The United Nations has called Canada one of the best nations Ui the world in terms of overail standard of living. As an established democratic nation, Canada is fiequently asked to monitor elections in newly emerging democracies. At this point, one might wonder about the ironic twist that as much as we appear to be democratic in out outlook, closer irivestipation reveals an institutional paralysis that has essentially stifled our forward progress in providing adequate representation for citizens. Canadians must become introspective to realize that their political institutions are not supplying representative government to them. More specifically, due to our antiquated electoral system? Canadian elections have been reduced to a farcical attempt at refiecting public opinion of the day. In an effort to redress these representational concems and reduce citizen alienation, this thesis will explore four institutional reforms that have been given the most attention in the literature. Canadian institutions are in need of reforrn to better refiect democratic values. No comment sums up Canada's current state of democratic despair better than the one which posits that Behind the familiar and reassuring façade of the Parliament buildings in Ottawa lie an unfair system of election, an inefficient legislature, an autocratic and secretive cabinet, a ktrated Opposition, and a couple of reminders of our colonial and undemocratic past. We can and mut devise a better systern of government if we hope to preserve democracy (Westell39). If one transposes the above argument onto Canada's current political situation, the argument continues to resonate true. No greater evidence exists to support this contention than the plethora of academics and scholars within the political literature devoted to the snidy of finding ways to irnprove Canadian democracy. If Canada has indeed entered a date of flux vis-à-vis its representative institutions, four reforms exist that at least in theory, have the greatest chance of ameliorating Canada's current problems. In search for a truly deliberative brand of democracy and notwithstanding the uncertainties Canada faces, the literature focuses on two reforms that are of a direct democracy nature and two reforms which focus more on actual conventions and Legislative fiarneworks. The four refonns hypothesized to improve the functioning of Canadian democracy are: 1) reçall, 2) loosening party discipline and the related introduction of more fiee votes, 3) referendurns, and 4) electoral reform. It is these reforms that have been given the greatest attention in the literature. As such, it is these reforms which merit closer investigation as potential solutions to what ails Canada's body politic.

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