UBC POLI 101 Canadian Politics. Why so much media coverage of the Liberal and Conservative Conventions. Parties and Elections

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1 UBC POLI 101 Canadian Politics Party Politics and Elections 1 Why so much media coverage of the Liberal and Conservative Conventions Because parties are the first step from citizens to political decisions They re a really important step what happens there makes a big difference for the choices we get and the decisions that get made This weekend s coverage 2 Parties and Elections Fundamental expression of democracy: Citizens choosing who holds power; one person, one vote Parties are an institution evolved naturally not mentioned in the constitution Think of how our democracy would work without parties: voters choose local member of parliament: personal vote conflict much more geographic, not ideological / programmatic policy harder to propose because majority would have to be assessed and then mobilized on each issue lots of logrolling (you support my proposal; I ll support yours) not much of a national election campaign, nat. political consciousness Parties provide organization: ideas, voters, elections, etc. 3

2 Why Parties? 1. So that like-minded legislators get laws passed 2. So that like-minded interests could implement a coherent program of policies (Ministers from same party) 3. To support a Prime Minister (somebody has to make final decisions) so a government & its policies will last 4. To get together to share & distribute the spoils of gov t 5. Once this has happened, the remaining members need to combine in opposition to present an alternative gov t 6. For electoral mobilization parties can pool resources to get to voters and give them something to vote for 7. To select local candidates, so there s a smaller set than would otherwise be the case 4 What are Parties? What do they do? Groups of politically like-minded people, pursuing power Parties are private organizations But they are such an important part of the political system that their internal regulation is much like that of government They need privacy to develop a common position But they need to be transparent and accountable to remain legitimate in the eyes of supporters and potential supporters And they need to be accessible to encourage participation and ultimately partisan identification / membership Their action in electoral politics can be regulated spending advertising candidate nomination leadership races??? 5 Party Leaders Parties seem to have a built-in logic that concentrates authority in a chief executive: the party leader Leaders are the people who will be Prime Minister Leaders chosen internally, by party members For 60+ years, leaders chosen by a convention of delegates from local (constituency) party associations Now, a push to choose leaders with a one-member, onevote system. (televoting, internet voting, etc.) A demonstration that parties are subject to same pressures as government in general: democracy, accountability Leaders are the focus of the election campaign, mainly because of the way TV news gets made 6

3 Party Systems Party systems are the particular set of competitive parties in a country and the pattern of broad interests they represent They are just a very general way of understanding the patterns of political conflict in a society Party systems can be very stable, or not so stable depending on the stability of the cleavages they map onto depending on the electoral system depending on voters attachments to parties depending on the rules for recognition of parties in parliament, the media, in election finance, in election advertising So, for example, Canada is seen to have gone through FOUR party systems In between each, there is a period of relatively rapid change 7 Institutional Context of the Canadian Party System Federal system linked to decentralized party organization Parliamentary system with disciplined parties unable to accommodate regional conflict Electoral system rewarding parties with concentrated regional support but requiring governing parties to amass widespread support 8 Changes in Party Systems: Alignment and Realignment Alignment: stable pattern of interests/groups tied to parties (we know which party is for what) Realignment: a shift in party positions on key issues/groups Canada s first party system ( ) was realtively equal competition between Liberals and Conservatives (alignment) Coalitions the combination of multiple interests under one party For example, Conservative coalition ( ): Deal with Quebec church to stay out of their way Favoured large business (eastern) and old money Broken by divergent views on separate schools crises And by a Quebecois candidate: Laurier Change to the party system because of emergence of third parties: Progressives, CCF, Farmers parties, Social Credit (realignment) History Repeats itself: Conservatives then the 1993 election 9

4 The Landscape of Canadian Party Politics Early issues in Canadian politics: Language / Religion / National accomodation Tariff protection for industry (versus primary sector: farmers, etc.) Railroad & other national projects Ties to Britain (military, economic) Economic role for federal government Later issues in Canadian politics: Federalism centralization vs. decentralization Constitutional accomodation Social programs Taxation Free Trade w/ USA, Foreign Investment Regional redistribution/development NOT as much class politics as European countries So these are the issues on which Canadian parties divide Because they see potential for assembling a winning coalition 10 Major Parties, Minor Parties (third parties) In majoritarian electoral systems like Canada s, where it is winner-take-all, there is a tendency to two dominant parties Think of the move to consolidate Alliance and Conservatives As opposed to proportional represenatation systems where small parties can survive and be quite powerful But these parties will have to incorporate so many diverse interests, that inevitably there will be some incentive to: break away and form a splinter party (e.g. Alliance DRC) form a new party from the ground up (CCF, Reform, etc.) If these parties survive, they might Form broader coalitions than the two dominant parties (Alliance?) Or, survive as Third Parties (CCF-NDP) This is one of the cycles of Canadian politics It might all change if we change the electoral system! Next 11 Case Study: What happened in 1993? 2½ party alignment Liberals, Conservatives, NDP PC coalition: Quebec and the West! West based on anti-liberal, provincial power, free trade! Quebec based on anti-liberal, provincial power, free trade! But: Accomodation of Quebec (distinct society) required alienation of West Recession, GST, deficit, etc introduced performance concerns 1988 Reform party is born, elects one member in 1989 Bloc Quebecois founded by PC Cabinet minister Bouchard along with some Liberals after the failure of Meech Lake Voters: Want to vote against the government, so majority of Quebecers vote BQ; Albertans vote Reform; and Ont, Man, and East vote Liberal PC and NDP crash, and are not officially recognized parties A new party system: 5 parties, regionalization!, Liberal dominance because of disunited opposition So, pressure for consolidation outside of Quebec 10 years later, we got that consolidation: PC Alliance Merger = Cons. Party 12

5 (this brings us to ) Elections Elections (at all levels) are the manifestation of democratic equality combined with representation and accountability Democratic Equality: All people speak for themselves, and all have equal influence in governing the political community Representation: We can t all decide on all issues, so we choose a subset of people to make binding decisions Accountability: Governments given some latitude to pursue policy leadership, but their actions are up for review So, practically, elections are an economical, fair means of choosing who holds power (and it IS a lot of power) But there are threats to this: tyranny of the majority distortions of the electoral system the influence of money rational ignorance and non-voting misinformation (politicians, media, groups, advertising) 13 Electoral Systems Different ways of choosing representatives have different effects Single-Member District vs. Proportional Representation Canada is a SMD system (winner-take-all) Links people with representatives But distortion of votes seats This encourages: two parties; brokerage parties ; (b/c voters & wasted vote thesis) new parties come from a geographic base bloc voting (Quebec?) to get on the government side Proportional Representation involves parties submitting lists of candidates, voters vote for parties, and the legislature gets filled by each party s share of the vote Little distorition in votes seats many parties can survive governments formed by coalition after the election less stable; governments are fragile coalitions Mixed systems exist (e.g. New Zealand and Germany) Canadian proposals for regional supplements from lists? 14 Exam Pointers Try to stick to the allotted time for each section. 1 hour for short answers 1 ½ hrs for essays (45 minutes each) Short answers are Define AND State the Significance In short answers you should keep the definition to two sentences (or just 1!). Use two or three sentences to say: how the thing is related to other institutions or behaviours, and/or whether there is controversy surrounding it, and if so what are the arguments on each side example: Treaty Rights 15

6 Exam Essays Two objectives 1. Show what you know, what you have learned 2. Make an argument 1. Have an answer to the question 2. Don t ignore the other side of the argument DO NOT WASTE SPACE ON INTRO & CONCLUSION!!! These questions will be broad. You can interpret them in a lot of ways. Try to provide a coherent answer. Also try to incorporate as many of the aspects of the course into your answer without sacrificing coherence. Example: Political Parties provide an indispensible link between citizens and the decision-making process. This aspect of the Canadian political system is functioning well. 16 Contemporary Voting Rights Long struggle for franchise (suffrage): 1867: 15% of population (all women excluded; 2/3 of men excluded because of property/wealth qualification) 1898: Universal Male Suffrage (plus disenfranchisment of Asians) 1918: Female suffrage Canadians of East Asian ancestry can vote in BC (1948), Inuit (1950), Status Indians (1960) 1969: Voting age lowered from 21 to 18 Legal Provisions Charter S. 3: right to vote Charter S.15: equal treatment under the law disqualifications: CEO, AEOs, ROs, inmates (2+ years), election crimes Court Cases Dixon Case (1989 B.C.): relative equality of voting power Saskatchewan Reference Case (1991 Supreme Court): right to effective representation 17 Election Campaigns Function of campaign: information for better choice In effect: MEDIA advertising, spin, debates, horse-race coverage Campaign is both local and national, but national media dominate Regulated by Canada Elections Act (similar prov. laws) 1 ELECTORAL RIGHTS ; 2 CHIEF ELECTORAL OFFICER AND STAFF ; 3 ELECTION OFFICERS ; 4 REGISTER OF ELECTORS ; 5 CONDUCT OF AN ELECTION ; 6 CANDIDATES ; 7 REVISION OF LISTS OF ELECTORS ; 8 PREPARATION FOR THE VOTE ; 9 VOTING ; 10 ADVANCE POLLING ; 11 SPECIAL VOTING RULES ; ADMINISTRATION AND GENERAL PROCEDURES ; CANADIAN FORCES ELECTORS ; ELECTORS TEMPORARILY RESIDENT OUTSIDE CANADA ; ELECTORS RESIDING IN CANADA ; INCARCERATED ELECTORS ; COUNTING OF VOTES AT THE OFFICE OF THE CHIEF ELECTORAL OFFICER ; COUNTING OF VOTES IN THE OFFICE OF THE RETURNING OFFICER ; COMMUNICATION OF THE RESULTS OF THE VOTE ; PROHIBITIONS ; 12 COUNTING VOTES ; 13 VALIDATION OF RESULTS BY THE RETURNING OFFICER ; 14 JUDICIAL RECOUNT ; 15 RETURN OF THE WRIT ; 16 COMMUNICATIONS ; 17 THIRD PARTY ELECTION ADVERTISING ; 18 FINANCIAL ADMINISTRATION ; REGISTRATION OF POLITICAL PARTIES ; GENERAL FINANCIAL PROVISIONS ; FINANCIAL ADMINISTRATION OF REGISTERED PARTIES ; FINANCIAL ADMINISTRATION OF CANDIDATES ; 19 ENFORCEMENT ; 20 CONTESTED ELECTIONS ; 21 GENERAL ; 22 TRANSITIONAL PROVISIONS, CONSEQUENTIAL AMENDMENTS, REPEALS AND COMING INTO FORCE ; SCHEDULE 1 ; WRIT OF ELECTION ; SCHEDULE 2 ; PROVINCIAL ACTS ; SCHEDULE 3 ; LIST OF ELECTORAL DISTRICTS 18

7 Regulation of Finance & Advertising Fairer Elections? Finance Local Candidates can only spend about $60,000 Donations are recorded (over $200) and made public Donations are subsidized by the tax system: $100 costs $25! Candidates getting 15%+ of vote get 50% reimbursed Parties get 22.5% reimbursed Parties limited to about 13 million if they run in all ridings Groups can now spend $150,000 (3 rd party advertising), but $3000 limit on supporting/opposing a local candidate Advertising Free time is provided according to existing strength Parties can t divert donations to be spent supporting them outside the party s budget itself (like American PACs) 19 Mandates? Mandate: approval for a certain course of action I have a mandate from UBC to teach this class Does winning an election mean that there is majority approval for the winning party s promises (platform)? Does the BC Liberal Party (Gordon Campbell) have a mandate from the voters to cut public sector jobs open up collective agreements with public sector workers raise cigarette taxes Factors affecting Mandate on a given issue: level of public awareness / election debate on the issue size of gov t victory (seats and votes) Did the Conservative gov t have a mandate for Free Trade? 20 The Democratic Citizen History, Social conflicts, Economy, Institutions, Parties, etc. ARE ALL VERY WELL But isn t democracy supposed to be about every citizen having an equal voice: deciding what s best independently and then communicating their preferences by determining who will hold power How equal is Canadian democracy if we look at all citizens? If there is inequality, does it reflect circumstances or choice? 21

8 Forms of Political Participation Electoral Politics VOTING!!! information-gathering, info-processing, discussion, choice Membership in parties, campaign work, giving money to parties, Governmental Politics contacting officials, representatives (telephone, letter, petition, in person) member of politically active (interest) group with lobbying attending political meetings, consultations, etc. Non-Governmental Politics any form of collective action separate from government and without ongoing attempts to influence (lobby) government churches, community organizations, certain charities, information campaigns and other attempts to influence public opinion Non-Traditional Participation marches, demonstrations, sit-ins, protests organized by groups, done by individuals new social movments try to break into politics this way, get items on the political agenda that are being ignored by mainstream politics 22 Rates of Participation Canada & US Electoral Politics Governmental Politics Non-Traditional Participation Activity Canadian % who do US % so who have done so often or sometimes Vote in federal election Tried to convince others how to vote Contribute money to campaign or party Work for campaign 6 14 Sign a petition Contact officials or politicians Member of politically active group Attend political meetings Ongoing member of political party 5 8 Boycott March 20 not available Attend Demonstration 4 11 Sit-in 5 2 Blocking traffic, vanadalism, or political? 1 violence 23 Voting The Democratic Act But who does it? Canadian turnout has been around 70-75% of eligible voters But in the 2000 federal election, official turnout was only 61% (55%?) Provincial and municipal turnout are even lower Like all forms of participation, Voters are more likely to be (than non-voters) better educated better-off married older (all of the decline in turnout because of voters born after 1970) have lived in their community longer They are also more likely to be (than non-voters) more interested in politics better informed feel like they have a say (efficacy) feel like politicians are honest (or, at least, not crooked ) Do we need voters to be interested, discussing, actively engaged? well-informed about their own interests, party positions, facts about the world, political history, voting strategy, etc.? looking out for the good of the whole society, fair-minded, tolerant? 24

9 Voting How do Canadians Choose? How good are Canadian voters decisions? depend on knowledge of one s interests party attachment may be unreliable/outdated policy voting depends on reliable information Can people judge Character/Competence of leaders? Do the positions taken by groups make the task easier? better? Q: What are the decisions based on? Issues? Leaders? Social Groups? Longstanding attachment to parties? (party identification) Local Candidates? In Quebec: Sovereignty? Polls? A: All these and more, depending on the voter herself the climate of the campaign the parties and personalities involved Voting on the issues some times stronger than others Free Trade and Voting in 1988 Free Trade Election 55% 24% 1988 Debate video 90% 76% % Voting Other Parties % Voting 45% PC 10% Oppose FTA Indifferent/ Undecided Support FTA 1993 Election Deficit Reduction and Voting in % 27% 34% 46% 64% % more important to: Maintain Programs 78% 73% 66% 54% 36% Reform PC BQ Liberal NDP % more important to: Reduce Deficit 26 Evaluating Elections Representation MP do MPs represent the interests/opinions of their constituents? Parties do parties adequately aggregate interests & compromise Leaders if Canadians are choosing leaders, can they judge those people well enough; do leaders (PMs) represent all Canadians? Handover of power efficient; peaceful allows policy experimentation constant competition enhances performance (up to a point) Education, Involvement, Participation Regime Legitimacy? Policy outcomes steady evolution or wide swings responsive to median voter, or more extreme groups is policy predictable if we know winning party? if not, is there any point in having elections based on policy promises? 27

10 Non-Electoral Participation Demonstrations, Protests, Sit-ins, Recall campaigns, Hunger strikes, Violence, etc. Even these forms are skewed to those of higher socioeconomic status think of the APEC protests right here on campus! Most of these are really attempts to shift public opinion get an issue/concern on the agenda, or move an item up the agenda provide new information to change opinion Because political powers pay more attention to general opinion than to a relatively few demonstrators Some of these are direct attempts to block the political process what is their legitimacy in a liberal democracy? defending human rights and minority interests or pushing a special agenda that frustrates the majority will 28 Evaluation of Participation in Canadian Democracy Those people who participate and get their views across are not perfectly representative of the Canadian population If voting is the minimum requirement for democratic citizenship, nearly half of Canadians are failing If more involvment is required, then we re not even a real democracy Or, perhaps, some (many?) people are just taking the system s survival, legitimacy, benefits, and effectiveness for granted If voting is the real driving force, then we must be worried about the quality of the information voters can get and ultimately their decisions Should we encourage / subsidize better information, compulsory voting? Is there an information gap that leads to inequality even among participants 29 Evaluation of Participation in Canadian Democracy Most interests seem to have backers that are willing to organize, raise and donate money, and get attention for their cause Non-traditional participation is increasing, which many people see as an indication of the inequality and ineffectiveness of traditional party/electoral/governmental participation Direct democracy a solution to these problems? 30

Electoral Reform Questionnaire Field Dates: October 12-18, 2016

1 Electoral Reform Questionnaire Field Dates: October 12-18, 2016 Note: The questions below were part of a more extensive survey. 1. A [ALTERNATE WITH B HALF-SAMPLE EACH] All things considered, would you