Over at Live from the World Trade Center, Jane Galt has a lively debate centered around the question
So how come the same people who are ranting that it's not fair that low-population midwestern states get the same Senate sway as high-population Eastern states nevertheless think that the UN is the answer to every foreign policy question?
Of course, the comment thread has been hijacked, and one of the little sub-debates is on the Canadian system vs. the American system of electing representatives. While I am not a scholar of Canadian politics by any stretch of the imagination, I am interested in the subject.
Because of historical differences, Canada doesn't have national parties, per se; The Liberal Party (which is currently in power) is the closest thing to a national party the Canadians have, although almost 80% of its representation in the house of commons comes from two provinces (Ontario and Quebec). The second largest party, the Canadian Alliance, dominates the three westernmost provinces, but has only five members in the rest of the country, with none at all in the five easternmost provinces. The Bloc Quebecois is the largest party in Quebec, but they are a Quebec-only party (they are the Francophone separatist party). The Progressive-Conservatives are strong in the Maritimes, but weak everywhere else. The New Democratic Party has support in Manitoba and Nova Scotia, and a few seats elsewhere.
The Canadian senate is not like our senate—their senators are given lifetime appointments by the governor general, under recommendation of the sitting prime minister. Unsurprisingly, the Liberal Party, which has been in power for some time now, dominates the Senate, with about 2/3 of the seats.
Until 1993, Canada had two major parties—the Liberals and the Progressive Conservatives, with the NDP a distant third. In 1993, the governing Progressive Conservatives were seen as out of touch and scandal-ridden; the western provinces felt that the leaders of the party ignored them in favor of the more populous east. In the elections that year, the PC party was annihilated, going from an absolute majority of 169 seats in the House of Commons to only two seats. The formation of the Reform Party (later the Canadian Alliance) was a significant factor—both the PC's and the NDP lost many seats to the new party, and the Liberals picked up many seats where the fragmented electorate couldn't decide on a single candidate.
While it is not likely to happen, there have been reports for years that Canada is about to shatter. Between the whole Quebec issue and the continuing resentment from the western provinces over the iniquitous distribution of power and wealth, there is plenty of discontent in the country. However, when push comes to shove, it appears that the people of Canada will hang together, rather than hang separately. That is a good thing for the US, because dealing with one neighbor is easier than dealing with three or four (or more).
If there are any Canadians out there reading this, I'd love to hear your comments, especially if I am way off base. These are just the musings of an American, and may not bear much relationship to reality (I'd like to think that I'm close, though).
posted on July 05, 2002 04:00 PM
