Mark Milke, President of the Aristotle Foundation, joins Stephen LeDrew to ask whether Canadians are really disengaged from politics — or whether the political system gives them too few opportunities to participate.
Milke argues that ordinary Canadians cannot be expected to become experts on every issue when they are busy working, raising families and living their lives. The deeper problem, he says, is that citizens generally get one meaningful opportunity to influence government every few years.
The conversation turns to Switzerland, where voters regularly participate in referendums on major public-policy questions, and to the United States, where competing branches of government can provide additional checks on power.
Milke argues that Canada’s system concentrates too much authority in party leaders and the Prime Minister’s Office, particularly under majority governments.
His proposed solution: citizen-initiated referendums, recall mechanisms and more opportunities for Canadians to inject themselves directly into the political process.
Topics Covered: