Democracy in Canada: The Disintegration of Our Institutions

Canada's representative democracy faces significant challenges, including the national government's inability to perform its most important roles, Parliament's failure to carry out responsibilities, an activist judiciary, calls for greater transparency, the media's changing role, and a federal government bureaucracy that has lost its way and standing. Democracy in Canada argues that Canadians must reconsider the origins of their country to understand why change is difficult and why they continue to embrace regional identities. It explains how British historical experiences shaped Canada's national institutions and why there was little effort to bring Canadian realities into the mix, leading to the scope and size of government and Canadian federalism taking on new forms outside the Constitution.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 504 pages
Publication date: 15 February 2021
Publisher: McGill-Queen's University Press

Canada's representative democracy faces significant challenges. At the forefront is the growing inability of the national government to fulfill its most crucial roles, such as mapping out collective actions that resonate across regions and enforcing these measures. Other concerns include Parliament's failure to carry out its essential responsibilities, an activist judiciary, persistent calls for greater transparency, the media's rapidly evolving role, and a federal government bureaucracy that has lost its way and standing.

In his book, Democracy in Canada, author Paul Wells argues that Canadians must reexamine the origins of their country to understand why change is difficult and why they continue to embrace regional identities. He explains how Canada's national institutions were shaped by British historical experiences and why there was little effort to incorporate Canadian realities into the mix. As a result, the scope and size of government and Canadian federalism have taken on new forms largely outside the Constitution. Parliament and, more recently, even the Cabinet have been pushed aside, allowing policy makers to design and manage the modern state. This has led to the perception among the average citizen that national institutions cater to economic elites, their own members, and interest groups at the expense of citizens.

Democracy in Canada is a comprehensive analysis that delves into the forces shaping the workings of Canadian federalism and the country's national political and bureaucratic institutions. It provides a deep understanding of the challenges facing Canada's democratic system and offers valuable insights into the potential solutions. By reexamining the origins of Canada's democracy and exploring the forces shaping its institutions, Democracy in Canada helps us to better understand the country's political landscape and the challenges it faces in the future.

Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780228006664