Winston Churchill once said: “Democracy is the worst form of government – except for all the others that have been tried.”
This past week, we witnessed the difficulties of democratic systems south of the border. It took 15 rounds of voting and serious compromises on behalf of the majority to get the minority of Republican congressional representatives to elect Kevin McCarthy as Speaker of the House.
The Speaker is a powerful position in the American governance model. Not only are they second in the line of succession for the Presidency but they are responsible for the scheduling of bills and the appointment of committee members.
But the whole debacle highlighted the ability of a minority to hold the majority hostage. Roughly 200 Republicans were backing McCarthy and 20 weren’t. However, needing 218 votes for a majority – if all members voted – it took 15 rounds of voting before McCarthy was able to convince enough of his colleagues to vote for him.
And now, congress will be held hostage to the whims and wants of a small group of individuals because one of the concessions McCarthy made was reinstating the ability for any single member of Congress to call for a vote of “no confidence” in the Speaker (a “motion to vacate the chair”) thereby trigger another round of voting for the Speaker position.
Of course, our system is different. It is a parliamentary system whereby the party with the most seats is asked to form government and the leader of that party assumes the responsibility of Prime Minister. When a party is in majority, the Prime Minister leads with a certain level of autonomy as legislation can pass on one party’s vote.
But in the case of minority, the parties have to strike a deal and assemble a coalition which can then be held hostage by the coalition partners. They need each other to stay in a governing role. The tyranny of the minority can take over.
Fortunately, in this country, we tend to elect representatives who put the good of Canadians first and recognize the value of a strong social construct. They are not our “betters” as some would say but just people trying to ensure we have a strong country. Without a lot of turmoil.
Todd Whitcombe is a chemistry professor at UNBC.
