Is a minority government structure preferable to an absolute majority in Canada?

 

The parliamentary democracy of Canada is one that promotes the idea that the party with the most seats in parliament ends up forming the government. However, there are instances where a party will win either just over half or fewer than half of the seats in parliament. A consequence is that it creates an environment within which the party is faced with the reality of having to form a minority government (Gagnier, 2011). This places it in a circumstance where it has to ensure that it negotiated with opposition parties in order to secure the passage of legislation through parliament. The psychology and dynamic of minority governments tend to be quite different from majority governments because of the manner through which they have to pay critical attention to matters of contact with other political parties as well as undertake a diversity of negotiations in order to stay in power. It is also pertinent to note that because of the way that minority governments operate, it has become common for them to ensure that they play a waiting game where they wait for the most opportune moment to call a general election in order to win a majority (Gagnier, 2011). However, prior to requesting the governor general to dissolve parliament and call for elections (Canada, 2015), the prime ministers in minority governments will constantly work to ensure that they maintain the confidence of parliament. This paper makes an analysis of minority governments in Canada within the context of determining whether or not they are preferable to an absolute majority.

Minority governments are not strange in Canada and in fact, they have appeared often for almost a century. The first minority government at the federal level appeared in 1921 when the Liberal Party came to power under Mackenzie King (Bakvis, 2015). This government was able to survive for close to four years through negotiations and making sure that they maintained a slight majority through the bringing in of susceptible members of the Progressive Party. The ability of the Liberals to remain in power for such a long time despite having a minority government can be considered critical because it shows the manner through which King was able to not only hold the members of his party together, but also seek out alliances with MPs that were willing to support his government initiatives. The latter is also pertinent because it shows the way that minority governments have to ensure that they use negotiations with other parties in order to not only maintain power, but also establish a level of leverage in parliament to make sure that critical laws are passed. In this way, minority governments in Canada have been able to survive in circumstances that would otherwise have been extremely difficult, as seen in other countries where formation of governments tend to be quite tedious.

One of the most important factors when it comes to a minority government in Canada is that the role of parliament becomes more prominent. This is especially considering that the house leaders of all parties end up playing a key role when it comes to matters of negotiations as well as diplomacy between the different parties. It also ensures that there is the promotion of means through which progressive agendas in society are also advanced, as seen through the way that in Canada, minority governments tend to be associated with progressive legislation such as the public pensions and medicare that came about because of the cooperation between the Liberals and the NDP (Bakvis, 2015). Minority governments are therefore bound to makes sure that there is the promotion of a scenario where it is possible for cooperation with other political parties to take on a more prominent role in governance. In this way, more individuals in society, specifically based on demographics, will have some form of representation in government because of the desire by government to negotiate with other parties in order to survive. Minority governments can, under such circumstances, be considered more representative of the population of the country.

Minority governments also have the potential of collapsing because of unexpected controversies or scandals. This is especially the case when it comes to cases over ethics and impropriety that might create an environment within which the government, because it is in the minority, is unable to perform its duties effectively. An example of such a situation was that of the damage that was suffered by the Liberal brand in Quebec because of the sponsorship scandal (Bakvis, 2015). However, it is noteworthy that despite the environment of instability that is generated by a minority government, many Canadians look positively towards such governments because of the belief that they are more responsive. These governments have to consider the views of their own members as well as those in other parties as a means of ensuring that there is the passage of legislation. Because they do not have an absolute majority, minority governments will often be sensitive to public opinion to such an extent that they will more likely than not respond more to the public than would otherwise have been the case.

It is important to consider that every action of a minority government is often conditioned to ensure that it covers its fragility. This is because they are placed in a vulnerable position where they do not have the leverage to make ensure that they take unilateral decisions. Instead, they are placed in a situation where they are left at the mercy of opposition parties, which tend to hold government more accountable during this period. However, it is important to note that opposition parties will often focus more on seeking to ensure that they question every government action, which results in bitterness within the legislature; creating an environment of instability because the political actors will not be seeking to achieve the same goals. The public service therefore ends up becoming negatively affected because the individuals involved in the political process are not only in constant disagreement, but there is a failure by the government to pass laws that are critical to running state functions. The loss of civility in parliament makes it difficult for politicians to serve the public good and helps to project the environment of instability which makes a majority government more desirable.

There is the perception, especially among Canadian politicians, that minority governments are temporary. Therefore, there is often little attempt to ensure that there is the formation of a coalition government with other parties. This has come to reduce the incentive to ensure that there is the creation of long-term cooperation deals between parties with the result being that a majority of Canadian parties will often work alone. Securing majorities has become a daunting task for a considerable number of minority governments. A lot of minority governments have been influenced by the way that John Diefenbaker, despite having a minority government in 1957, ended up winning a majority government by the largest margin in the history of Canada less than a year after his government initially won the elections (Russell & Sossin, 2009, p. 130). This has created a trend in Canadian politics where there is little motivation to form coalition governments in the belief that in a subsequent election, they will win a majority. In this way, many prime ministers have been unable to secure majorities and have instead ended up with minority governments. The quest for a majority is ironic because it has often led to a continuation of minority governments in the country for most of its modern history.

The experience of Canada with minority governments can be considered paradoxical because despite their considerable frequency, they are still seen as temporary. In addition, despite many citizens considering minority governments as being unstable, and there being a desire for more stable majority governments, the continued frequency of minority governments shows that the latter remain a critical aspect of Canadian society. There is the need to make sure that there is the promotion of a scenario where this problem is addressed through seeking the formation of coalition governments based on long-term partnerships between the various political parties. Thus, the problems associated with minority governments within parliament would be overcome and more stable governments of the majority would be formed.