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Voters clamour for federal majority

Dissatisfied with successive minorities

By: Jennifer Ditchburn

13/07/2009 1:00 AM | Comments: 5

OTTAWA -- Minority-government fatigue seems to be setting in with voters. A new poll shows a spike in the number of Canadians who are pining for the days of federal majorities, and who might vote strategically in order to avoid the fourth straight minority in the next election.

The Canadian Press Harris-Decima survey showed 64 per cent of respondents prefer a majority over a minority government, up from 52 per cent two years ago.

Only 24 per cent said they preferred a minority, as compared to 36 per cent in 2007.

"What people went in with the hopes of was that it would help facilitate more coalition-building and more consensus-building within the parties, but in practice what it has yielded is more conflict with the parties and less getting done," Jeff Walker, senior vice-president at Harris-Decima, said.

The pollsters gave respondents four scenarios to ponder: A Liberal majority or minority, or a Conservative majority or minority.

The Liberals came out on top in both respects -- with 30 per cent preferring a Liberal majority, and 14 per cent a Liberal minority, as compared to the 24 per cent who backed a Conservative majority and nine per cent who wanted a Conservative minority.

Walker said the results are an indication that the Liberals are the second choice for a majority of Canadian voters, and that could be a significant factor in the next election.

"There has the potential to be more strategic voting in this next election than maybe we've seen in the last couple of elections, with more pressure for there to be a majority government and more of a sense that maybe the minority concept doesn't quite work as well as people had hoped," Walker said.

Despite the apparent weariness with minority governments, the poll suggested that slightly more Canadians -- 45 per cent versus 42 per cent -- would support the idea of a coalition government after the next election.

The Liberals, NDP and Bloc Québécois formed a short-lived coalition late last year as they threatened to bring down Stephen Harper's Conservative government.

Harper successfully prorogued Parliament before a non-confidence vote was possible.

The poll of 1,000 adults was conducted July 2-5 and has a margin of error of 3.1 per cent, 19 times out of 20.

 

-- The Canadian Press

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition July 13, 2009 A4

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5 Commentscomment icon

Does an increase in the percentage of people wanting a majority government reveal anything other than an increase in political polarization? The Libs succeeded with polarizing and vilifying their political opponents in the Chretien era, and the Cons have simply picked up the same strategy and exploited Lib weaknesses. That the Cons have not been able to leverage the strategy into majority status indicates that Canadians are tired of the same old, same old approach. The strategy is flawed because it leads to decreased participation in the democratic process, even if it delivers majority governments from time to time.
Other countries are beginning to employ participative democracy, even in areas such as budget development, typically one of the most polarizing exercises in government. Canadian parties, however, seem to lack the imagination and vision required to develop or identify creative approaches - especially if those approaches transcend partisan interests. It's not just politics that needs transformation, it's the democratic process. Restoring an ethic of service is a good beginning point, but it's the whole democratic paradigm that needs transformation.
As long as control of our democratic processes remains in the hands of "backroom" strategists and relies on power and money manipulation, citizens' aspirations are limited to choosing the "best" option between parties with whom most of us are not completely aligned. If we had a process that involved the social and economic aspirations of Canadians, rather than the exclusively political aspirations or parties, our politics would have to change.

Harper and his neocons are so narrow minded they can't work with anyone else, well maybe jesus.

What we need is a new party! The Liberals and the NDP have to realize that, over the past 20 years, they have evolved to the point where they are just factions of very similar ideals. They should unite into a single party that supports the ideals of the majority of Canadians. It's the only way we'll ever see the end of the corrupt buffoons currently steering our country into a sinkhole.

And this poll shows what exactly? Just that people are sick and tired of the children bickering on the hill. (My appologies for the insult to the genuine children of the world.)

We need a new kind of politician. One who is willing to work together with others for the betterment of those they are selected to represent. It's time we put the "serve" back in public servant. Don't just vote against something because it came from your political rival, look at what it does for your constituants, and vote based on that evaluation. If you don't work together, pretty soon, you may not work at all.

On the flip side of that, we the people have to stop considering it a sign of weakness when a politician makes the choice to work with others. Especially in a situation like a minority government.

Interesting poll but the fact remains there is no real support for either a Liberal or Conservative majority government. 30% for the Liberals is not serious support in my judgement. However, the key issue is that Canadians want a majority government. With the advent of the Bloc in Quebec and its taking close to 50 seats it is difficult for a federalist party to win a majority given the regional differences that exist. So Canadians in the next election if they do not want the threat of an election every other week are going to have to decide who they want to govern the country and vote massively for that government. This is necessary if the Bloc continues with its stranglehold on Quebec.

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