For those of you of think that Canada is an advanced and well functioning democracy, think again.
There's 4 parties forming the parliament. The Conservative party, governing with a minority, was about to be brought down by the 3 opposition parties agreeing on a governing coalition. Only one thing could stop this from happening: the governor general interrupting the parliamentary session until January. And she did it. While the parties constituting parliament represent the choice of the voters, she was appointed by Queen Elizabeth II!
I think Guns N Roses should have titled their new album Canadian democracy instead of Chinese democracy.
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Don't you complain, man! In Italy, we have all this stuff, and we are also the most corrupt country in the OECD, after Korea and Mexico. At least you do not have cleptocracy!
country cpi (mean 1995-2008)
Denmark 9.577857
Finland 9.546429
New Zealand 9.450714
Iceland 9.336364
Sweden 9.242857
Singapore 9.18
Netherlands 8.852142
Canada 8.852142
Switzerland 8.823571
Norway 8.75
Australia 8.675714
Luxemburg 8.61
Luxembourg 8.609091
United Kingdom 8.491538
Unit.Kingd. 8.44
Austria 7.933077
Germany 7.902857
Hong Kong 7.836429
Ireland 7.7
USA 7.543077
United States 7.5
Chile 7.156429
Barbados 6.96
Saint Lucia 6.95
France 6.908571
Japan 6.881429
Belgium/Luxembourg 6.85
Israel 6.829231
Belgium 6.676154
Portugal 6.418571
Spain 6.382857
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 6.3
Malta 6.28
Slovenia 6.04
Estonia 6
Botswana 5.909091
Macao 5.9
United Arab Emirates 5.883333
Qatar 5.866667
Puerto Rico 5.8
Cyprus 5.75
Oman 5.716667
Bahrain 5.633333
Taiwan 5.534286
Uruguay 5.512727
Bhutan 5.4
Dominica 5.366667
Trinidad & Tobago 5.1
Malaysia 5.086429
Cape Verde 5
Hungary 4.997143
South Africa 4.991428
Costa Rica 4.929167
Jordan 4.890833
Tunisia 4.845455
Namibia 4.845455
Italy 4.717143
Mauritius 4.690909
Kuwait 4.666667
South Korea 4.616428
Czech Republic 4.587692
Lithuania 4.58
Greece 4.578571
Samoa 4.45
Slovakia 4.433333
Seychelles 4.26
Poland 4.203846
Cuba 4.016666
Fiji 4
Latvia 3.918182
El Salvador 3.872727
Peru 3.872727
Trinidad and Tobago 3.8
Bulgaria 3.754545
Slovak Republic 3.7
Croatia 3.66
Brazil 3.651429
Turkey 3.625
Morocco 3.61
Jamaica 3.6
Saudi Arabia 3.583333
Belize 3.566667
Suriname 3.52
Ghana 3.518182
Dominican Rep. 3.5
Grenada 3.45
Mexico 3.395714
Panama 3.375
Colombia 3.364286
Montenegro 3.35
Sri Lanka 3.328572
Thailand 3.291429
Lesotho 3.275
Serbia 3.266667
Senegal 3.263636
Belarus 3.25
China 3.205
Burkina Faso 3.2
Kiribati 3.2
Mongolia 3.183333
Malawi 3.181818
Egypt 3.17
Argentina 3.125714
Gabon 3.12
Bosnia and Herzegovina 3.116667
Romania 3.111667
Dominican Rep 3.1
Lebanon 3.066667
Maldives 3.05
Swaziland 3.025
Vanuatu 3
Dominican Republic 3
Mali 2.95
Djibouti 2.95
Macedonia 2.942857
Syria 2.933333
India 2.918571
Algeria 2.9
Benin 2.88
Solomon Islands 2.85
Rwanda 2.85
Ivory Coast 2.85
Armenia 2.85
Zambia 2.845454
Madagascar 2.842857
Mauritania 2.833333
Mozambique 2.775
Zimbabwe 2.763636
Philippines 2.757857
Guatemala 2.73
Iran 2.716667
Sao Tome and Principe 2.7
Palestine 2.7
Eritrea 2.7
Moldova 2.69
Nicaragua 2.66
Ethiopia 2.6375
Albania 2.6375
Viet Nam 2.633333
Georgia 2.6125
Serbia and Montenegro 2.6
Nepal 2.6
Tanzania 2.590909
Bolivia 2.557692
Vietnam 2.554444
Guyana 2.55
Comoros 2.55
Yemen 2.516667
Libya 2.483333
Timor-Leste 2.466667
Togo 2.466667
Niger 2.46
Laos 2.45
Gambia 2.45
Kazakhstan 2.44
Uganda 2.434167
Venezuela 2.430714
Russia 2.426923
Ukraine 2.409091
Ecuador 2.374167
Honduras 2.37
Cote d´Ivoire 2.3
Burundi 2.275
Pakistan 2.26
Papua New Guinea 2.233333
Liberia 2.233333
Uzbekistan 2.23
Kyrgyz Republic 2.2
Congo Republic of the 2.2
Sierra Leone 2.183333
Congo, Republic 2.16
Indonesia 2.136429
Central African Republic 2.133333
Kyrgyzstan 2.116667
Kenya 2.100833
Yugoslavia 2.1
Côte d´Ivoire 2.066667
Cameroon 2.055
Tonga 2.05
Cambodia 2.05
Guinea-Bissau 2.05
Tajikistan 2.033333
Paraguay 2.022222
Sudan 2
Turkmenistan 1.96
Azerbaijan 1.95
Congo, Democratic Republic 1.94
Angola 1.9375
Afghanistan 1.933333
Equatorial Guinea 1.9
Iraq 1.866667
Guinea 1.8
Chad 1.76
Haiti 1.685714
Nigeria 1.673077
Myanmar 1.616667
Bangladesh 1.61
Somalia 1.5
CPI = corruption perception index, from Transparency International. Sorry I should have mentioned this.
Cosimo, didn't you know that Canadians are expert complainers? After hockey, it's our favourite past-time :P
Parliamentary systems work best with majority governments. And so, with the current minority, it is normal that things are a bit rocky. Blame it on first-past-the-post and an unconvincing Liberal Part leader.
The Governor General is appointed by the Queen officially, but really, she is nominated by the Prime Minister in consultation with a slew of people. The GG, just like the Queen, is a rubber-stamper that has a purely symbolic role 99.9999% of the time. Current events are the exception that confirm the rule.
Given the fact that billions of people live in failing or failed States, we should not be too quick to lament that we have the choice of a range of institutional mechanisms through which political conflict can be diffused and managed.
The real problem with Canada these days isn't the GG (which embodies a long tradition of parliamentary democracy), but rather the inability of any party to (re)present a vision of Canada: what it wants to be for its citizens, and what role it wants to play in the world.
Rachelle
the elected parliament, which is divided, represents our country.
YOU PEOPLE NEED LIVES IM NOT EVEN KIDDING GOOOOOOOODDDDDDDDD GET SOME HELP .....VOTE NDP WOOOOOT :3
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