Paul Harris, Jack Vowles, John Bradbury, Richard Katz, Sarah Birch: representatives from Yemen, New Zealand, UK, & USA
As the final event of 2005,the Centre for Canadian Studies organized a conference entitled "Electoral Reform in Canada, Getting Past Debates About Electoral Systems." The conference, held on the Mount Allison campus beginning the evening of 10 May and finishing the afternoon of 12 May, consisted of four panels.
The first session drew upon the recent provincial experiences in Canada in addressing the question "what are the best practices in considering electoral reform?" Panelist included leading figures from the Quebec, New Brunswick, Ontario and British Columbia reform projects.
The second session focused on "What Happens after a Decision is Made for Reform Challenges of Implementing Electoral Reform." This panel considered challenges for voters, parties and election officials in implementing electoral reform.
The third session discussed "Lessons From Abroad, Implementation of Electoral Reform in Other Jurisdictions." Experts on electoral reform in New Zealand, Scotland and Eastern Europe shared experiences of these jurisdictions with electoral reform and considered what the lessons might be for Canada.
The final session approached two issues. The first is "How do we Measure Success in Electoral Reform?" This discussion included both the substantive measures of success and best practices for evaluating reform. The second issue was "What if no Reform takes place?" This discussion revolved around the implications of all of the provincial and federal projects resulting in no reform.
Participants in the conference included leading academics and practitioners from across Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States. Substantial time was set aside for discussion between panelists and other conference participants.
Members of the Commission on P.E.I.'s Electoral Future.
Annise Hollies, Chief Electoral Officer of N.B.
with local citizens Dorothy Linkletter and Doug & Eileen Mantz
- CONFERENCE PROGRAM -
May 10, 7 - 10 p.m.,
registration, and opening reception
May 11, 9:15 - 11:45 a.m., Lessons Learned from the Recent Canadian Experiences Considering Electoral Reform Chair:Matthew Mendelson, Deputy Minister for Democratic Renewal, Ontario David McLaughlin, Deputy Minister, Commission on Legislative Democracy, New Brunswick André Fortier, Secretaire adjoint, Secretariat a la reforme des institutions democratiques, Quebec R. Kenneth Carty, Director of Research, British Columbia Citizens Assembly Blake Doyle, Commisioner, Commission on P.E.I.’s Electoral Future noon - 1:15 lunch 1:15 - 3:15
What's Next: Challenges of Implementing Reform Chair: Leslie Seidle, Institute for Research on Public Policy
"Referenda as a Means of Considering Electoral Reform," Campbell Sharman, University of British Columbia
"Electoral Reform and Voters," Jack Vowles, University of Auckland, New Zealand
"Electoral Reform and Political Parties," Richard Katz, Johns Hopkins University, USA 3:30 - 5:30 Lessons From Abroad: Implementation of Electoral Reform in Other Jurisdictions
Chair: André Blais, University of Montreal
"Lessons from New Zealand," Paul Harris, former Chief Executive, New Zealand Electoral Commission
"Lessons from Eastern Europe," Sarah Birch, University of Essex, UK
"Lessons from Scotland," Peter Lynch, University of Stirling, UK 7 - 10, cocktails and dinner
May 12, 9 - noon Electoral Reform and Then... How Do We Measure Success and Failure?
Chair: Ailsa Henderson, Wilfrid Laurier University Keith Archer, University of Calgary Lisa Young, University of Calgary Bill Cross, Mount Allison University Peter Aucoin, Dalhousie University
The New Brunswick Commission on Legislative Democracy and the Centre for Canadian Studies presented an Academic Conference on Legislative Democracy held February 5 and 6, 2004.
A conference on democracy of this scope and magnitude is a first in New Brunswick and presented a unique opportunity for the Commissioners and participants to discuss the key issues of the Commission on Legislative Democracy's mandate. The Commission is concerned with the context and issues driving electoral and democratic reform in Canada and New Brunswick; electoral reform systems and direct democracy issues and public involvement in decision-making.
Commission on Legislative Democracy co-chairs Annise Howlis & Lorne McGuigan with Deputy Minister David McLaughlin.
Dr. André Blais
Topics of discussion included: Types of electoral systems; issues relating to group representation (such as women and minorities) and electoral boundaries in various electoral systems; outcomes of electoral reform; the New Brunswick and Canadian experiences with direct democracy, and citizen engagement and participation in Canadian and New Brunswick democracy.
The Conference featured Dr. Leslie Seidle, Senior Director National and International Research and Policy Development as keynote speaker for the February 5 luncheon and offered a slate of leading political science academics from New Brunswick, Canada and the US. Scheduled speakers were: Dr. André Blais, Université de Montréal ; Dr. Joanna Everitt, University of New Brunswick-Saint-John and
Sonia Pitre, University of Ottawa; Dr. Alan Siaroff, University of Lethbridge; Dr. Munroe Eagles, University of Buffalo; Dr. Chedly Belkhodja, Université de Moncton; Dr. Paul Howe, University of New Brunswick; Andrew Parkin, Centre for Research and Information on Canada; and Dr. Bill Cross, Mount Allison University.
Dr. Bill Cross, the Centre’s Director held the position of Director of Research for the Commission on Legislative Democracy. For more information on the work of the Commission on Legislative Democracy, please visit their website at http://www.gnb.ca/0100/index-e.asp. Its final report is now available.
Bill Cross with conference attendees
Academic Conference on Legislative Democracy
February 5 & 6, 2004
Mount Allison University, Sackville, NB
Tweedie Hall
Sponsored by: New Brunswick Commission on Legislative Democracy & Centre for Canadian Studies, Mount Allison University
February 5, 2004
Electoral Systems and Electoral Reform
9:00 amDr. Wayne Mackay, President of Mount Allison University
Welcome
9:05 am Lorne McGuigan and Lise Ouellette, co-chairs, Commission on Legislative Democracy
Opening remarks
9:10 amDr. Bill Cross, Davidson Chair and Director, Centre for Canadian Studies/ Director of research, Commission on Legislative Democracy
Research purpose of the conference
9:15 amDr. André Blais, Université de Montréal
Overview of electoral systems and how they work
10:00 am Comments on Dr. Blais’ presentation by Dr. Bill Cross, Davidson Chair and Director, Centre for Canadian Studies/ Director of research, Commission on Legislative Democracy and roundtable discussion with Commissioners
10:30 am Health break
10 :45 am Open discussion with other participants
Lunch
12:00 – 1:30 pmJean-Pierre Kingsley, Chief Electoral Officer of Canada
Keynote Speaker -- Voter turnout and participation in electoral process
( $20 per person, payable at registration table)
1:30 pm Dr. Bill Cross, Davidson Chair and Director, Centre for Canadian Studies/ Director of research, Commission on Legislative Democracy
Context for afternoon discussion
1:35 pmDr. Joanna Everitt and Sonia Pitre, University of New Brunswick – Saint John/ Ottawa University
Electoral systems and representational issues
2:00 pm Roundtable Discussion with Commissioners and other participants
2:40 pmDr. Alan Siaroff, University of Lethbridge
Outcomes of electoral reform
3:10 pm Roundtable Discussion with Commissioners and other participants
3: 40 pm Health Break
4:00 pm Dr. Munroe Eagles, University of Buffalo
Electoral systems and boundary drawing
4:20 pm Roundtable Discussion with Commissioners and other participants
4:50 pmDavid McLaughlin, Deputy Minister, Commission on Legislative Democracy
Wrap-up of Day 1 of Conference
4:55 pmLorne McGuigan and Lise Ouellette, co-chairs, Commission on Legislative Democracy
Closing remarks
February 6, 2004
Direct Democracy and Democratic Values
9:00 am Lorne McGuigan and Lise Ouellette, co-chairs, Commission on Legislative Democracy
Opening remarks for Day 2 of Conference
9:05 amDr. Bill Cross, Davidson Chair and Director, Centre for Canadian Studies/ Director of research, Commission on Legislative Democracy
Context for Day 2 of Conference
9:10 amAndrew Parkin, Centre for Research and Information on Canada
Direct Democracy – overview and issues
9:40 amDr. Chedly Belkhodja, Université de Moncton
Direct Democracy in the New Brunswick context
10:00 am Discussion with Commissioners and other participants
11:00 am Health Break
11:15 am Dr. Paul Howe, University of New Brunswick
Learning the democratic values of New Brunswickers
12:15 pm David McLaughlin, Deputy Minister, Commission on Legislative Democracy
Wrap-up of two-day conference
12:20 pmLorne McGuigan and Lise Ouellette, co-chairs, Commission on Legislative Democracy
Closing remarks
National Launch of the Canadian Democratic Audit Series, March 11, 2005, Parliament Hill.
CANADIAN DEMOCRATIC
AUDIT
Opening remarks by Dr. Bill Cross: For the past four years, a team of political scientists from across Canada, has been engaged in the project of examining and assessing the status of Canadian democracy at the outset of the 21st century.
Today, we are pleased to release the findings of this work. When we began this project there was evidence of a discontent among Canadians with their democratic life. We were concerned with declining levels of voter participation, low levels of voter confidence in their democratic institutions and a general sense of democratic malaise. In the years since we began our work, the notion of a ‘democratic deficit’ in Canada has become quite popularized. From Prime Minister Paul Martin, to provincial governments across the country, to members of the media, to the halls of academe many have identified a need for Canadians to reexamine and perhaps reform their democratic institutions and practices. Indeed, five provinces and the federal government are currently in the midst of democratic reform initiatives.
The Canadian Democratic Audit provides a comprehensive assessment of the current state of
Canadian democracy. Using the benchmarks of participation, inclusiveness and responsiveness, the Audit measures the performance of Canadian democracy and how it measures up in comparison with voters’ expectations, in comparison with other western democracy and in terms of change over time. The ten volumes that comprise the Audit examine citizens, elections, political parties, advocacy groups, legislatures, first ministers and cabinets, communications technology, courts and federalism, as well as a final synthetic volume.
During the course of today’s discussions we will be presenting the conclusions of the Audit team on the state of our democratic life and we will focus on key reforms that we think worthy of consideration by policy makers and voters to enhance the status of our democracy.
We thank you for your interest in the Audit project and hope that you enjoy today’s conference. We encourage you to participate in the discussions and to learn more about the Audit by reading the volumes and visiting the project’s website at www.canadiandemocraticaudit.ca.
The project was organized under the auspices of the Centre for Canadian Studies at Mount Allison University with funding generously provided by the Harold Crabtree Foundation. The entire Audit team is grateful to the Canadian Study of Parliament Group for their partnership in both this conference and our launch conference in 2001.
Dr. William Cross
Director, Canadian Democratic Audit
Mount Allison University
Sackville, NB
Canada: A Democratic Audit
March 11, 2005 Ottawa, Ontario
February 28, 2005 -- 9:00 a.m.
Final Program
9:15 – 10:00 a.m. Registration and healthy breakfast (Room 253-D, Centre Block) 10:00 a.m. Welcome and overview by: William Cross
Centre for Canadian Studies
Mount Allison University
Conference Chair David Docherty
Department of Political Science
Wilfrid Laurier University
Conference Chair 10:15 a.m. - PANEL l 12:00 p.m.POLITICAL PARTIES, ELECTIONS, CITIZENS AND ADVOCACY GROUPS
Chair: R. Kenneth Carty
Department of Political Science
University of British Columbia
Speakers: Political Parties William Cross
Centre for Canadian Studies
Mount Allison University
Elections John C. Courtney
Department of Political Science
University of Saskatchewan
Citizens André Blais
Department of Political Science
Université de Montréal
Registration Fee $75.00 contact JoAnne Cartwright
at CartwJ@parl.gc.ca
Advocacy Groups Lisa Young
Department of Political Science
University of Calgary Joanna Everitt
Department of Politics
University of New Brunswick (Saint John)
Discussants: Hon. Terry M. Mercer
Senator Hugh Winsor
Globe and Mail 12:00 p.m. - Luncheon (Room 237-C, Centre Block) 1:30 p.m. Keynote Speaker:Hugh Segal
President
Institute for Research on Public Policy
“Beyond the Adversarial Charade: Can Parliament
Play a Constructive Policy Role?”
1:30 p.m. - PANEL 2 2:45 p.m.CANADIAN LEGISLATURES AND CABINET DECISION-MAKING
Chair: Brenda O’Neill
Department of Political Studies
University of Manitoba
Speakers: Canadian Legislatures David Docherty
Department of Political Science
Wilfrid Laurier University
Cabinet Decision Making Graham White
Department of Political Science
University of Toronto
Discussants: Hon. David McLaughlin
Deputy Minister
Commission on Legislative Democracy
Government of New Brunswick Jonathan Malloy
Department of Political Science
Carleton University 2:45 p.m. Break 3:00 p.m. - PANEL 3 4:15 p.m. FEDERALISM, COURTS AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY
Chair: Richard Sigurdson
Dean, Faculty of Arts
University of Manitoba
Speakers: Federalism Jennifer Smith
Department of Political Science
Dalhousie University
Courts Ian Greene
Department of Political Science
York University
Communication Technology Darin Barney
Department of Communication
McGill University
Discussants: Joseph Peters
Partner
Ascentum F. Leslie Seidle
Institute for Research on Public Policy 6:00 p.m. Dinner (Room 237-C, Centre Block)
Commission on Legislative Democracy co-chairs Annise Howlis & Lorne McGuigan with Deputy Minister David McLaughlin.
