Fixing Canadian Democracy

Joseph Garcea is a professor of political Studies at the University of
Saskatchewan.

Fixing Canadian Democracy is an edited volume produced from the
proceedings of a conference—hosted by the Fraser Institute—on
democratic reforms in Canada. The conference brought together several
well-known academics, political activists, policy/political analysts,
and current and former politicians from different ideological camps.

The book is divided into six parts. Part 1, “Selecting
Representatives,” examines the relative merits of existing and
alternative modes of selecting political representatives. Part 2,
“Empowering Representatives,” discusses how the empowerment of
elected representatives can contribute to the democratization of
decision-making by governments and party caucuses. Part 3, “Powers
Reserved for the People,” explores the issues and options related to
public participation in decision-making. Part 4, “Constitutional
Constraints,” looks at some of the limitations that constitutional
provisions and conventions place on the nature and scope of a democratic
reform agenda. Part 5, “Getting There,” considers how democratic
reforms have been accomplished in other jurisdictions outside Canada.
The book’s final section provides a framework for achieving democratic
reforms to electoral and decision-making systems in each of Canada’s
provinces.

This short and readable book is recommended as a quick reference guide
to some important issues and options related to democratic governance
reforms.