Strengthening Canadian DemocracyViews of CanadiansIn the report by Paul Howe and David Northrup entitled “Strengthening Canadian Democracy: Views of Canadians” Political Questions 1: 5, Canadians' attitudes toward government, including questions about electoral reform, representation and veteran turnout. (Howe and Northrup, 2000) After reading this report, it is clear that many Canadians find many issues from their government unacceptable. One of the most threatening concerns is what form the government will take to come to power. The voting process, the form in which Canadians are represented by their MPs and the first-past-the-post election method. The electoral reform debate is not a new issue, it has been discussed for some time, but with recent In some studies, "concerns about the relationship between a party's share of the popular vote in a election and the number of seats it obtains” (Howe and Northrup, 2000) have received more attention. The first-past-the-post system has continually elected governments with grossly unfair party representation. “The most dramatic evidence was provided by the Progressive Conservatives, who received 16% of the national popular vote but won only 2 seats (0.7%) in the House of Commons… In Quebec, the sovereignist voice of the Bloc Québécois grew… when 49.2% of the votes earned the Bloc 72% of the provincial seats…” (Braving the New World p.177). Howe and Northrup highlighted this to Canadians in a survey, asking them whether they thought it was acceptable or unacceptable. When the results were compared to the same poll taken ten years ago, the results showed very significant changes in the opinions of Canadians. Canadians have shown an increase in their disapproval of this electoral system, as well as an increase in the number of those who expressed an opinion. . The data presented shows that more than half (63%) of Canadians with an opinion on the current electoral system find it unacceptable. However, when asked if they were satisfied with the electoral system in place in Canada, the results showed that an overwhelming majority of seventy-two percent were satisfied with the first past the post system. Canadians' sense of unacceptability towards the current electoral system should be sufficiently concerning to be taken into account, to guide political and institutional change, for the simple fact that democratic government's goal is to serve its people. Reports like these should serve as a critique of the government and a voice of the people. However, I fear this is not the case, as the vast majority of Canadians are too passive in the political arena and believe that acceptability is simply defined as being better than the alternatives seen around the world. Canadians seem to be content with an imperfect democracy, and that is what they will have to endure until, as a population, they decide together that this democracy is no longer acceptable. Works cited1. Howe, Paul and David Northrup. Policy Issues Strengthening Canadian Democracy: The Canadian Perspective vol.1 no.5. July 20002. Roger Gibbins and Loleen Youngman Berdahl. “The institutional expression of multiple identities: the electoral reform debate” Braving the New World, Readings in Contemporary Politics. (2000): 176-1863. Cassidy, Michael. “How Proportional Representation Would Improve Canada’s Electoral System,” Paul Fox and Graham White, Politics: 398-412