We currently have a majority government in Canada. Majority governments are able to push almost any legislation that they choose through the House of Commons, meaning that they can essentially do what they want. At this point in time when Canada needs reform in many sectors, having a majority government is a good thing. However, I generally support minority governments, in which the governing party has less than half the say in the governance of the country.
Last fall, after the attack in Ottawa where Corporal Nathan Cirillo was fatally shot, the Harper Conservative majority created Bill C-51, an anti-terrorism act which grants many powers to CSIS. This bill, which is very controversial in the power that it grants, passed with the support of two major parties, but the Conservatives would still have been able to pass it without any support. Other controversial bills were passed solely by the Conservatives. The Liberal party, which now forms Canada’s government, previously supported C-51 but have now pledged to amend the bill, which of course they can do without any other party’s support.
A majority government can and does act more quickly and decisively, but this does not necessarily mean that it will act correctly. It is easy to say that a decision should be made quickly in an emergency, but a rash decision often has worse effects that a better-considered, if slower, one. Moreover, if opposing parties have staunch, clashing opinions on important issues, changing from majority government to majority government (as has just occurred) can result in rapid 180-degree changes in policy that are controversial, confusing and may result in a disaster far worse than either plan carried out alone.
Another benefit of minority governments is that there is no fixed length of their term. A majority government lasts a full term before an election is called, but in a minority government the term can be ended by a vote of no confidence which happens when more than 50% of the MPs vote that the current government is no longer fit to govern. Votes of no confidence can happen at any point during the term, meaning that if the opposition disagrees with the general direction of the government at any point, they can vote to call for an election. The advantage of this is that it makes the governing party more willing to compromise, meaning that their decisions are more likely to be supported by all Canadians.
Having a mechanism in legislature that ensures that no minority government outlasts its usefulness proves that votes of no confidence can be a good thing, but it also has its downsides. If the total opposition disagrees with the results of an election they can vote against it and plunge the country into another election. This can lead to long periods of time without an actual government in power and large amounts of taxpayer money spent on running another election.
A minority government can also lead to more seamless changes in power. If the opposition parties find that they have more similarities than differences, they might band together and form a coalition government. Coalition governments are multi-party endeavours that form a majority against the former minority government. Coalitions can shift the power around throughout the term of a parliament, keeping direct power out of the hands of one party. For example, if the public decides that the party in power or a specific leader is not fit to continue as Prime Minister, the leader or party in question can be removed from power without drastically changing the composition of the current parliament, thus respecting the wishes of the voters.
Furthermore, a plurality of parties represented in Parliament means that there are a number of different viewpoints contributing to the government at all times. Consider that a single-party system is an Orwellian nightmare and a two-party system notably fails to represent all views and the subtleties thereof. More parties with significant representation in Parliament means more views are heard. Of course, there is the danger that too much representation will cause the government machine to degrade into pointless bickering, and this is the main objection leveled against minority governments. However, this merely means that a balance must be struck.
In a majority government, there is a very real danger that the input of other parties and thus voters will be only nominal. With a minority government, it is necessary to listen to everyone. This fact is emphasized further by the shortcomings of Canada’s current first-past-the-post electoral system, where Prime Ministers are frequently elected with less than half of the popular vote, even forming a majority in this way. This is how our last two governments were formed; however, it is possible that it may not remain this way, as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has stated that he intends to change the system. Nonetheless, this issue has existed up until now and is seen by many as a serious flaw in Canada’s democratic system. A minority government helps to mitigate the effects of flaws in the election system.
Both majority and minority governments have their own advantages and disadvantages. In emergencies, majority governments are able to act more quickly and decisively; however, under ordinary circumstances, minority governments are able to act in a more balanced, fair and considered manner. Because by definition most situations are ordinary, these circumstances prevail, and if an emergency situation is derailed by partisan politics, there are deeper problems than the exact composition of the government.
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