Quote:
Originally Posted by llama64
This is where I maintain that people aren't understanding how our government works.
Every single MP is elected. You do not vote for your Prime Minister. You vote for your MP. Those words next to "Conservative Party" are the MP's name... We do not, should not and never ever will vote specifically for a party. If you personally vote this way, that doesn't change the mechanics of the system and you shouldn't be shocked when it behaves differently then you thought it would.
If the Liberals and the NDP unite into a single party, that's a perfectly fair and democratic option. If that uniting leads to a house majority, that's still democratic, as every seat represents a defined group of Canadians.
How is this so hard for people to understand? This was taught in High School for crying out loud. If you want to vote directly for your executive, become an American citizen.
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Technically, of course, you are correct.
But I'm going to invoke the excuse the old British Privy Council used to protect provincial rights from zealous PMs pointing at the word of the law. The "Spirit" of the Constitution.
Despite what is written in specifics, there is an overriding spirit of the document. This is essentially what protects the liberal democratic aspects of the constitutional monarchy. There are a lot of provisions in that document that allow a PM/GG/party leader/etc. the ability to do some pretty shocking things... what stops them is the expectation that gain a mandate/elected majority to do these things.
As well, I believe what has protected our antiquated system of government for so long is ignorance. Most people tend to believe our system is the same as the US, with a few different names of titles and buildings. Most people think that their vote works the same way as in the US, which it doesn't, but pretends to in order to avoid the ire of the electorate. With rare exception, the MPs are voted by party brand name, and not their own merits. Ironically, in the US, individuals matter a lot more than party stripe.
Instances like this remind people that we have a pretty poor system of government. Regardless of political stripe, every major leader (and minor in May's case) have acted deplorably in some way, shape or form, or have had to act deplorably to protect the system and avoid being accountable to the voters... largely due to the way our system works.
It still remains to be seen if "the way it should be" will win over "the way it is written."