Abstract

This work will examine the Senate of Canada and its undemocratic features by utilizing a list of democratic criteria. Robert A. Dahl’s On Democracy provides a basis for the need for Canada’s political institutions to undergo an evaluation of how well the Canadian Senate fairs when examined alongside the minimum amount of democracy needed in political institutions within large-scale democracies. The research questions will be: can the Senate of Canada, as a governmental institution in Canada, be considered democratic or undemocratic? If undemocratic, what reform should the Canadian Senate accept to become a more democratic institution? Upon examination of the Canadian Senate and its democracy, it stands that the Senate continues to violate democratic criteria, ultimately making it undemocratic. This will be proven through the following points: the Canadian Senate’s structure formation is undemocratic as it violates the democratic expectations of having free, fair and frequent elections, having elected officials, obtaining voting equality, and allowing for control over the agenda to exist. Also, the Canadian Senate’s requirements for senators are undemocratic through its prevention of associational autonomy, inclusion of adults, and disallowing inclusive citizenship. Lastly, this work will find that the Senate’s interactions with those part of the Canadian populace take on undemocratic aspects as it fails to facilitate effective participation and enlightened understanding. For Canada to progress toward democratic ideals, it must come to terms with its undemocratic institutions and move towards making significant reforms to counteract its undemocratic aspects.

Keywords: Canada, Senate of Canada, Democracy, Robert A. Dahl, Upper houses