Why We Need the Electoral College - Part III

The Canadian system of federal government combines:

• A popularly-elected chief executive, the Prime Minister (Jean Chretien),
• A popularly-elected parliamentary lower house ("Commons")
• A parliamentary upper house that is appointed by...the popularly-elected Prime Minister.

As a result, all federal power in Canada is held by the places with the votes - Quebec, Ontario, the fairly-densely populated east.

In the meantime, the Western provinces - "Cowboy Canada" - goes begging for a voice, especially against the majority's socialistic impulses.

And that begging is turning to that greatest Canadian hobby - talk of secession.

By moving unilaterally to endorse Kyoto, and particularly to do so without disclosing what the all-important implementation plan for the treaty would be, infuriated not only the Albertans, but many other provincial leaders as well. However, Alberta's populace and political establishment buys into the standard intellectual-government consensus less than any other Canadian province. Their customary position as the outermost province in the Canadian political crack-the-whip game has generated growing frustration.

Canada's confederal system contains built-in frustration for the Western provinces. Western Canadians are distinct in outlook and economics from Eastern Canada, permanently outnumbered in representation, and disproportionately taxed by Ottawa to fund lavish social welfare schemes. They (and Albertans in particular, to whom all the previous descriptors apply in spades) have time after time floated political initiatives to redress their concerns, always to end in frustration.

Secession is a word that overly fascinates outside observers of Canadian politics, probably because it is used so frequently in Canadian political discourse for effect rather than as a real indication of intent. Its return to political discourse in Alberta, still on the fringes, is a measure of frustration with Kyoto at present, rather than an immanent [sic] possibility....

However, unlike in the past, court decisions and legislation have established a clear indication of how a secession movement might succeed in practice. Intended for the Quebec issue, it also applies to any other province.

If you're getting frustrated with the logic of anti-Electoral-College activists (read: tons of DFLers after 2000), Canada's a fine counterexample.

Posted by Mitch at November 18, 2002 03:12 PM