Two Cheers for Minority Government.

• Author: Levy, Gary
• Position: Book review

Two Cheers for Minority Government by Peter H. Russell, Emond Montgomery Publications Limited, Toronto, 2008.

Peter Russell is an eminent Canadian political scientist whose research has centered mainly on the Supreme Court and on Aboriginal issues. In retirement he has turned his attention to the very topical subject of parliamentary democracy and in particular the issue of minority government.

The theme of the book, as reflected in the title, is an endorsement, with minor qualms, of minority government and a plea to make theses periodic episodes a permanent part of our parliamentary experience.

The first few chapters look at the incidence of minority government both in Canada (since 1921) and in other democracies. He points out quite convincingly that each of the twelve minority experiences in Canada featured a unique set of political circumstances which makes it difficult to construct a general theory. He also argues that there have been enough that we should start to think of them as a normal part of our political process and not as aberrations or a disease to be eradicated.

He does go on much too long and much less convincingly about the difference between true majority governments (where one party has 50% of the vote) and false majorities (where a party has 50% of the seats but less than half the popular vote). This, he views, as the worse outcome of elections and while that is a good argument for proportional representation it is not the best starting point for a discussion of minority government. Much better would be the somewhat harder task of assessing the characteristics of a well functioning parliamentary system and then seeing how well minorities do when measured against this standard.

Instead he holds up majority (really false majority) government as his standard and of course there are many things wrong with the kind of majority government practiced in Canada for many years. The incredible power of the office of prime minister, the excessive party discipline, and the frequent use of the rules by the majority for its own advantage are but some of the problems well known to students of parliament.

By contrast he paints a rather rosy picture of how a minority government should work. It forces checks on the power of the prime minister, encourages discussion and negotiation among parties and provides an enhanced role for private members of parliament as legislators. It is quite an attractive picture and perhaps some jurisdictions...