A majority of Canadians don’t take part in our formal political system and I suspect party discipline may be partially to blame.
A recent public opinion survey by democracy think tank Samara found:
* 69 percent haven’t contacted an elected official in the last 12 months;
* 80 percent haven’t attended a political meeting in the last 12 months;
* 90 percent haven’t volunteered in an election campaign in the last five years;
* 90 percent haven’t donated money to a political party or candidate in the last five years; and
* 90 percent haven’t belonged to a political party in the last five years.
According to Samara, “this sends a strong signal that formal political participation is not an activity that Canadians view as worthwhile.”
The think tank didn’t say why that might be.
But thanks to party discipline, our representatives usually put the interests of their party ahead of their constituents when voting.
That means it could seem pointless contacting an elected official or attending a political meeting.
Hence, the low-level of formal political participation in our country.
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