Canadians don't understand our political System?

[ToadBrother]

That little document signed by a majority of house members provides all the evidence the Governor General needs to make a decision. In fact the Governor General is obligated under our law to provide the majority an opportunity to form a government.

That's a damned questionable interpretation. While it's legally true that the GG could offer the coalition to form a government, convention suggests very heavily that the GG would much more likely call a new election. Unless you can point out where in law the GG is obligated to give the Coalition a chance (which no one thus far has done, and certainly the constitutional experts I've read have never used the word "obligated") I think you're on very shaky ground.

The long-standing tradition with only a couple of cases in any Westminster country in the last century (both of which are still highly controversial) has been for a new election when a government falls.

[blueblood]

Its not about any of that. Its about the parliamentary system and how it is meant to work. 4 months is a very short time. A short enough time that she may grant an election...or not.

And part of how it works is by granting elections. No fixed election dates puts the election card at play for the GG. Time is not an issue concerning these events, i.e. public demonstrations and seperatists being involved. Do you think the GG wants to go down in history as being someone who the people hated, all for the sake of "convenience" when she has an option that is fair for everybody and is part of parliamentary tradition to boot. You have your nose buried in that social studies textbook your are failing to see logic concerning her choice.

[Smallc]

We don't know what choice she will make if faced with the situation. We don't know what she told the Prime Minister in their meeting. We do know that she considered things a great deal before granting prorogation. We don't know what will happen if this situation comes up not matter how clear you think the logic is.

[ToadBrother]

And part of how it works is by granting elections. No fixed election dates puts the election card at play for the GG. Time is not an issue concerning these events, i.e. public demonstrations and seperatists being involved. Do you think the GG wants to go down in history as being someone who the people hated, all for the sake of "convenience" when she has an option that is fair for everybody and is part of parliamentary tradition to boot. You have your nose buried in that social studies textbook your are failing to see logic concerning her choice.

According to one Australian I know (so I'll fully admit this is somewhat anecdotal), the decision of Sir John Kerr to dismiss a sitting Prime Minister is still highly controversial, over three decades after the fact. While theoretically possible for the GG to user her reserve powers with some latitude, I fully expect that come the end of January, if the Opposition chooses to defeat the government, we'll have a new election.

[ToadBrother]

We don't know what choice she will make if faced with the situation. We don't know what she told the Prime Minister in their meeting. We do know that she considered things a great deal before granting prorogation. We don't know what will happen if this situation comes up not matter how clear you think the logic is.

It's not so much logic as the long-tradition that the Regal or Vice-regal does what his or her Prime Minister says to do, with reserve powers held only for the most extreme situations. The fall of a minority government is not an extreme situation, even if it does mean a new election is held just four months after the last one.

Edited December 16, 2008 by ToadBrother

[dlkenny]

A new poll by D'oh Canada claims that Canadians cannot even answer basic questions about our government.

How can we expect Canadians to make a reasonable decision when they do not even understand what they're voting for.

Click me for story.

That would explain the low voter turnout, it's not apathy but ignorance. People simply do not know, or do not fully understand. I'm 27 and before the last election I asked quite a number of people my age if they were going to vote and I got the same answer many times "I never vote, I don't know anything about it." Either that or they claim that the government doesn't affect them, which tells me that they don't understand it. Perhaps this is something that needs to be addressed.

[Smallc]

That would explain the low voter turnout, it's not apathy but ignorance.

couldn't agree more. People in general simply don't take enough interest....in anything. Theya re uninfrmed on most subjects but they are quite happy to jump to conclusions anyway. Its actually quite sad.

[Topaz]

couldn't agree more. People in general simply don't take enough interest....in anything. Theya re uninfrmed on most subjects but they are quite happy to jump to conclusions anyway. Its actually quite sad.

[/quote)

There's also another side of this, the working people don't have time and they have enough stress in their lives that they are thinking, "My vote won't count anyway" or"The govts are all the same". I do think though since the loan to the auto sector has come about more people are taking notice and with Harper closing down Parliament. It's not just one thing, it's a lot of different situations but the solution is only one, Canadians have to go and vote no matter what they think. When my kids were of age to vote, I told them go look into the parties and make up their own mind and I didn't tell them who they should vote for. Are parents guiding their kids into voting?

[g_bambino]

the working people don't have time and they have enough stress in their lives that they are thinking, "My vote won't count anyway" or"The govts are all the same".

If that is the case, why then all the mock outrage from people over something they know nothing about? While time may be a factor in whether or not the majority of the populace has an understanding of our constitutional and political system, I would suspect that it's not really that they're forced to use this time for something else. I'm more convinced that most would rather choose to spend an hour watching So You Think You Can Dance than reading even a Wikipedia article on Canada's governance or paying some attention to our politics, safe in a world where government is a minor variation on the American system and decisions are announced by soundbite. Only when this delusion is burst by the realities of our Westminster parliamentary constitutional monarchy do people seem to sit up and take notice, and generally complain that the truth not being what they believed it to be is somehow an injustice.

[dlkenny]

If that is the case, why then all the mock outrage from people over something they know nothing about? While time may be a factor in whether or not the majority of the populace has an understanding of our constitutional and political system, I would suspect that it's not really that they're forced to use this time for something else. I'm more convinced that most would rather choose to spend an hour watching So You Think You Can Dance than reading even a Wikipedia article on Canada's governance or paying some attention to our politics, safe in a world where government is a minor variation on the American system and decisions are announced by soundbite. Only when this delusion is burst by the realities of our Westminster parliamentary constitutional monarchy do people seem to sit up and take notice, and generally complain that the truth not being what they believed it to be is somehow an injustice.

Absolutely true. Politics is boring for most people (I like politics though...) and for many it doesn't even register on their cerebral cortexes because they simply have other things to do. I would suggest that for those of us on this forum it's difficult to fathom the idea of not voting or not understanding the legislative system, we talk about these things constantly and intimately know (and debate) what the parties and representatives stand for. For others even a basic knowledge of how it works or why it's important escapes them.

Apathy is only a very small part of the problem.