Week 3 Lecture F2023 1030A Part 1

Summary

The lecture introduces Canada’s political system by comparing its democracy with democracies around the world. It asks whether Canada’s strong democratic reputation is fully deserved or whether the country has a persistent “democratic deficit.” The instructor says a later lecture will examine that question more closely; this lecture focuses mainly on democracy rankings and how to interpret them.

Context from Earlier Lectures

The instructor briefly revisits themes from previous classes:

• Canadian values were shaped by immigration before Confederation in 1867, external influences and threats, and the country’s complex regional and cultural makeup.
• Popular culture—including hockey, art, and music—can express and help reshape Canadian values.
• Canadians have historically relied on the state to support the arts and tended to have confidence in political institutions and defer to political authority.
• These traits may reflect Canada’s traditions of compromise and gradual change, as well as its conservative and liberal roots.
• The instructor contrasts this with the United States, where suspicion of government and a history of revolution are presented as more prominent.

V-Dem’s Measures of Democracy

The instructor discusses research by the V-Dem Institute, which assesses democracy across many countries using indicators such as:

• Suffrage: Who is eligible to vote, and whether voting rights are restricted by age, gender, or other characteristics.
• Freedom of expression: Whether people can express their views and whether the media and public speech face government censorship or bias.
• Freedom of association: Whether people can form or join political groups and parties, start new parties, and criticize or oppose the government.
• Free and fair elections: The independence of election-administration bodies, the presence and accessibility of voter registries, vote-buying, and election-related violence or intimidation.
• Constraints on executive power: The ability of courts and legislatures to limit decisions made by the executive branch, such as a cabinet, prime minister, or president.
• Equality before the law and individual liberties: Protections such as property rights, freedom of religion, freedom from torture, and freedom of movement.

Canada’s Position and Democratic Trends

According to the figures discussed, Canada ranks among the world’s top 20 percent of democracies. In the comparison shown, Canada sits just behind Denmark, New Zealand, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States, and ahead of several other countries.

One chart compares democracy scores in 2012 and 2022. A score closer to zero represents weaker democracy, while a score closer to one represents stronger democracy. The chart also displays confidence intervals for each country:

• If the intervals for 2012 and 2022 overlap, the change is not shown as statistically significant.
• If they do not overlap, the chart indicates a significant change.

The lecture identifies Chile, the United States, and Uruguay as countries whose democracy weakened over that period. One country, whose name is unclear in the subtitles, is identified as having become more democratic. Canada’s score is described as largely unchanged.

A second figure traces Western European and North American democracies from 1972 to 2022. The instructor characterizes Canada’s democracy as weaker in the early-to-mid 1970s, strong for much of the following period, and somewhat weaker around 2020, while remaining broadly stable over the 50 years shown.

Question for Further Discussion

The rankings support the view that Canada has a strong and relatively stable democracy, but the instructor cautions that they do not settle the question. Journalists, academics, and politicians have argued that Canada has a long-standing democratic deficit.

The instructor says the next step is to review the basic structure of Canada’s political system and then assess whether its democratic reputation matches how democracy works in practice.

Speakers and Sources

• Speaker: The course instructor, presenting a lecture on Canadian values and democracy. The instructor’s name is not stated in the subtitles.
• Source discussed: The V-Dem Institute and its comparative democracy indicators and rankings.