Two Cheers for Minority Government The Evolution of Canadian Parliamentary Democracy

For decades Canadians have been led to believe that majority governments are the ideal outcome of our federal elections, allowing the winning party to fully implement its vision and act decisively. But in this timely exploration of Canada's history and its current political landscape, Peter Russell argues that Canadians are better served by minority governments than by false majorities, the too-common scenario in which a party wins a commanding majority of seats with fewer than half the votes cast. Though minority government may not quite deserve a full three cheers, our multi-party reality and the evolution of Canadian democracy require that we come to terms with it, and perhaps even embrace it.

Peter H. Russell is Professor of Political Science at the University of Toronto.