Is Canada's Parliamentary System Working?

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in the House of Commons in Ottawa, April 3, 2019. Reuters

Justin Ling, Foreign Policy: How Canada's cultish politics make bad problems even worse

* The lack of deviation on policy within Canada's political parties is a departure from other Western democracies.
* That lack of flexibility is a problem, and on that makes bad situations worse, argues Justin Ling.

As the UK Parliament eats itself in tortured indecision around Brexit, it might seem that Westminster systems work best when there's not too much freedom. As vote after vote unfolded, not even the few Liberal Democrats could get themselves in unison for the vote, let alone Theresa May's tortured Conservatives.

But, across the pond in Canada, the limits of lockstep parliaments were on full display. Wielding his extraordinary power as leader of the Liberal Party, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau unceremoniously fired two members of his caucus, both former cabinet ministers, and ripped up their candidacy papers.

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WNU Editor: First things first .... I live in Canada. As to the above question, this is how Canada's parliamentary system has been working since the beginning of Confederation .... and in my opinion it has worked well. And while it is true that Canada's political parties are focused on its leaders, it does result in governments being formed where policies and initiatives are quickly implemented. And if these policies do not work and/or the public are against them, Canada's elections are free and fair, and there is always accountability when the public goes to vote. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was elected with a majority government in 2015 with only 39.5% of the vote, but it was accepted at the time that he has a mandate to implement his agenda, and implemented he did. Canadians go to the polls this October, and many will be voting on his performance. My sense of the mood in Canada is that there is a growing sentiment that his policies are not working and my money is on him losing his job. And IMHO this is OK. As long as politicians are held accountable by the electorate, I do not care how cultish Canada's politics is. In the end the power must reside in the public, and in this country it does.