Social representations

Electoral Reform and What it Would Mean for Aboriginal Peoples Canadian politics still operate under the outdated First Past the Post electoral system. Many believe that it is time for Canada to change its electoral system to a Proportional Representation system. This would be especially beneficial for Aboriginal peoples, as they remain severely under-represented and discriminated by the First Past the Post system. This essay will argue that the current First Past the Post electoral system in Canada

years, the rights of individuals to vote were significantly limited as only white males had the right to vote but only after meeting certain requirements. A secret ballot was unheard, and it was only after a number of changes were implemented that all social groups in Canada were given the right to vote. Even after these changes, electoral

believe only men are capable of political representation. The problem lies within an institutional bias, where unnatural distinctions have been put in place from a young age. In New Zealand, the presence and contribution of women have been pivotal to the make up of contemporary party politics. Achieving parliamentary recognition and political representation peaked during the 1970s when the country was experiencing large changes in its economic and social environment. Through activism and pressure

These four cleavages emerged as the part of the foundation of the argument for a sociological approach to explaining party systems. A social cleavage is a far cry from a political party, and so Lipset and Rokkan had to provide a transition from the former to the latter; which they did in three parts. The first being that these cleavages existed before all adult males were given the privilege

impedes a comprehensive representation by further entrenching and aggravating ethnic division. The lack of minority representation in political-decision making has limited the ability of a true representative democracy to come into fruition. The inconsistency of elected assemblies mirroring the population has decreased the representation of ethnic minorities and deepened the racial and ethnic cleavages. Reforming the electoral system to accommodate proportional representation will not only enhance

shift. The three waves of feminism have helped propel the women’s movement in the world. Hence, some people believe in a fourth wave. In addition, women have gained electoral power via the proportional representation electoral system, which is more favourable to women than majority-plurality representation. (Nonetheless, it is also the stereotyping that people put on the two different genders.) (One perspective of women in politics Where Rwanda and Canada rank with two different electoral systems.) These

"The system of proportional representation ensures that virtually every constituency in the country will have a hearing in the national and provincial legislatures” (Tutu, 1994). In Humphrey's book “Proportional Representation: A Study in Methods of Election” he defines proportional representation as an electoral system where seats in a legislature or council are allocated to various interests in proportion to their strength in the electorate. He further argues that with such constituencies it would

people into the political process. The media need to support more TV shows addressing political issues, candidates need to spend more time with youth, we need to move toward voting online, and if all else fails, implement a system of proportional representation. On the local level, there are too many candidates and no way to get to know them. The majority of people never see who is running. Sometimes it seems like it doesn't even matter. My life goes on with low-paying jobs and high college loan

There is a fundamental problem with the democratic process in Canada. This problem is rooted within our electoral system. However, there is a promising solution to this issue. Canada should adopt the mixed-member proportional representation electoral system (MMP) at the federal level if we wish to see the progression of modern democracy. The failure to do so will result in a stagnant political system that is caught in the past and unable to rise to the contemporary challenges that representative

voting. A rational voter would act more strategically, that is, the voter would vote to produce an election outcome which is as close as possible to his or her own policy preferences, rather than voting on the basis of party attachment, ideology, or social group membership (expressive voting). Strategic voting has become more important than voting on the basis of political cleavages (expressive voting), so voters have become more rational in their approach, however there is always an element of expressiveness