Experiments with e-democracy at the Quebec National Assembly.

• Author: Bedard, Jean

This document considers the state of e-democracy and presents an analysis of two online-consultation pilot projects conducted at the National Assembly by the Committee on Institutions in 2000 and 2002.

**********

Democratic institutions in the majority of Western societies today are passing through a crisis of confidence because participation in elections and political life generally has declined. This growing indifference on the part of the citizenry is well documented, and it is spurring public bodies to seek innovative ways to bolster the confidence of the population in their elected representatives. (1)

"Cyber-optimists" see the advent of new information technologies as extending a lifeline to our democracies. E-democracy has been perceived as a means of reviving the citizens' interest in public affairs and of revitalizing democratic institutions, whose ways are deemed less and less suited to contemporary realities. (2) Expectations were very high in the 1990s, but they have since been dashed. E-democracy is progressing more slowly than predicted. Even its most fervent advocates have been compelled to admit that it does not suffice merely to juxtapose "democracy" and "information technologies" in order to bring about an overnight revolution in democratic processes.

What exactly do we mean by "e-democracy"? In the larger sense this term refers to the use of information technologies by democratic agents (governments, Parliaments, the media, political organizations, citizens/electors) in governance and in political processes. (3) In this article the notion of e-democracy will nonetheless be limited to citizen participation in the parliamentary process. In the Quebec context its other facets (electronic voting, online campaigns, online government, etc.) fall under the jurisdiction of organizations that are distinct from the National Assembly, such as the chief electoral officer, the government, and political parties.

Below we reflect on e-democracy and its possible consequences for the institution of Parliament in Quebec. More concretely we look at two experiments that the National Assembly has conducted in holding electronic consultations. The lessons drawn from these can guide the institution in bringing desirable adjustments to future exercises as well as in making unavoidable choices regarding citizen participation and the integration of information technologies into the proceedings of Parliament.

Parliament and the Challenge of E-Democracy

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) defines three levels of interaction between the citizen and the state:

* Information. A one-way relationship in which the state produces information and transmits it to the citizen.

* Consultation. A two-way relationship in which the citizen has the opportunity to make his or her views known.

* Active participation. A partnership between the state and the citizen, who is directly and actively involved in the process of policy formulation and development. (4)

This classification applies equally well to relations between the citizen and Parliament. These three levels of activity provide a yardstick with which it is possible to measure the degree of interaction achieved in the various e-democracy projects.

The very first step in e-democracy is the democratization of information. Like the majority of public bodies the National Assembly is well advanced in this area. Its internet site contains a sizable quantity of information on the Members, on current and previous debates, and on the various activities conducted by the institution. (5) Indeed, in this respect the Assembly may be compared advantageously with many other Parliaments in Canada and around the world. We would note briefly that the website of the Parliament of Quebec distinguishes itself through its impressive historical section, the promptness with which it is updated, its video bank, and especially the fact that all parliamentary debates are indexed, thus making it possible, for example, to locate every speech made by any given Member with just a few clicks.

A small group of citizens far from Parliament can now obtain information at the same time as a major lobbying firm established in the capital. We should make clear, however, that the quantity of public information produced by the Assembly has varied little during the past twenty years. What has changed with the arrival of the internet is the ease of access to this information. With a simple click a citizen can find out whether his or her Member has spoken on a subject of personal interest or locate all that has been said about a bill or about any other subject. Previously he or she would have had to go to a public library and pore...