Atkinson Charitable Foundation

CANADA SUFFERING FROM A HUGE DEMOCRATIC DEFICIT (JAN 27)

Canada Suffering from a Huge Democratic Deficit

Fewer Canadians are voting or volunteering for formal political groups, nearly half say they aren’t happy with the way Canada’s democracy works, and an overwhelming majority say that federal government policies have not made their lives better, according to the Democratic Engagement Domain Report (PDF 2MB) released on January 27 by the Institute of Wellbeing.

The Report also noted that women and minorities are underrepresented in the political process. Since 1997, the percentage of women Members of Parliament has remained low at about 20% of total seats.

On the positive side, Canadians are becoming more involved in informal democratic activities such as online discussions, social networking, protests and petitions. They want to have a greater say in the decisions that are shaping their world.

The report puts forward a number of positive ways that Canadians can become more engaged in their own Democracy.

Download the Report Highlights (PDF 345KB), the full Report (PDF 2MB), or read Improving Canada’s Democratic Engagement: 10 Ideas for Positive Change (PDF 87KB).