Unit 6: Election and the party system in Canada

Question 1

What are the Trends?

Answer 1

There is a notable downward trend in voter turnout at the federal level.

Turnout for the 2019 Federal Election declined by nearly 3 % to 65.65 %

Turnout for 2021 declined by 3.5 % to 62.25%

Question 2

What are the Factors for Decline in Voting?

Answer 2

Characteristics of the Canadian voter:
volatile, weak partisanship reacting to short term issues such as leadership.

Canadian parties as brokerage parties: non-ideological, ‘big tents’

Problems with the present electoral system: vote and seat distortion in the house of commons - Alan Cairns artcile

Question 3

What are Voter Characteristics?

Answer 3

*Canadian electorate marked by a high degree of volatility.
*Half of elections since 1953 have produced minority governments.
*Third parties – generally capture at least 20% of the vote. This has increased in recent years.
*Multiple identities: 35% of electorate vote for different parties at the federal and provincial levels

Question 4

What are Partisanship?

Answer 4

*Partisanship simply refers to party identification.
*There are two main types of partisan voters:
*Durable Partisans - always votes for the same party.
*Flexible Partisans – changes party identification between elections and during an election.

Question 5

What is Flexible Partisans?

Answer 5

Flexible partisans respond to short term issues, thus accounting for much volatility during an election campaign.

Short Term Issues

Leadership

2. Advertising
3. Media Coverage

Question 6

What are the Types of Voters?

Answer 6

Volatility is also increased by a constantly changing pool of voters during each election.

Consistent Voters
First Time Voters
Exit Voters
Returning Voters

Question 7

What is Brokerage Parties?

Answer 7

*Voter volatility is increased by the dominance of brokerage parties in Canada and the emergence of distinctive party systems.
*Brokerage parties are distinct from ideological parties.
*Brokerage: referred to as ‘big tents’ as they attempt to straddle multiple cleavages in society and motivated by the pursuit of power and not the pursuit of principle.

Question 8

What is Brokerage Parties? Part 2

Answer 8

*are held together by the pursuit of office and patronage – the rewards of office to party members.
*Only brokerage parties have held office in Canada at the national level.
*Examples: Liberal Party, Progressive Conservatives and Conservative Party

Question 9

What is Brokerage Parties and Voter Volatility?

Answer 9

Brokerage parties reinforce voter volatility as they emphasis short term issues and appeal to flexible partisans:

Focus on leadership
Focus on distinctive regions of Canada
Focus on issues of style
Campaign on ‘absent mandates’

Question 10

What si Ideological Parties?

Answer 10

*based on political principles and occupy a distinctive part of the political spectrum.
*Not a significant factor in Canadian politics.
*More predominant in electoral systems based on proportional representation.
*NDP would be the closest to an ideological party in Canada but it also demonstrates important characteristics of a brokerage party.
*Example: Communist Party of Canada

Question 11

What are Elections in Canada are governed by?

Answer 11

Charter of Rights and Freedoms

Canada Elections Act

Question 12

Single Member Plurality

Answer 12

*The SMP system – single member plurality – is an example of a ‘constitution similar in principle to that of the United Kingdom.’
*Alternative electoral systems have been rejected at the provincial level in recent years.
*Ontario and PEI – Mixed Member Proportional
*British Columbia – Single Transferable Vote

Question 13

Advantages

Answer 13

There are a number of advantages of the SMP system that justify its continued operation in Canada:
Creates strong, durable, majority governments.
Allows political parties (brokerage) to straddle divisions such as regionalism and build stable governing coalition.
Works best with 2-3 parties competing in elections (approximately 43% of the vote needed to form a majority government)

Question 14

Disadvantages

Answer 14

*The advantages of SMP break down when it operates in a multi-party setting (ie Canada at present).
*When more than three parties compete, SMP:
*Distorts votes to seats ratios in House of Commons
*Works against national parties (in terms of seats)
*Intensifies regionalism when parts of the country are routinely excluded from the government benches

Question 15

SMP and Multiparty Competition

Answer 15

Alan Cairns argued that the SMP electoral system, operating in a multiparty system, would produce a number of identifiable and long term consequences:
The 1st placed national party would win a disproportionately higher number of seats (vote to seat distortion #1)

The 2nd placed national party would win a proportionate number of seats (no distortion).

Minor regional parties with a concentrated vote would win a disproportionately higher number of seats (vote to seat distortion #2)

Minor regional parties with a dispersed vote would win a disproportionately lower number of seats (vote to seat distortion #3)

Minor national parties without a regional base would win a disproportionally lower number of seats (vote to seat distortion #4)

Question 16

STV-PR

Answer 16

A ranked ballot that operates in multi-member constituencies.

A quota is required for election to one of the constituency seats.

Excess votes (over the quota) are redistributed based on voters second, third, forth…. preferences.

Example: Northern Ireland Assembly election