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Political Participation: Elections and Parties
- “Gerrymandering: how drawing jagged lines can impact an election”
http://ed.ted.com/lessons/gerrymandering-how-drawing-jagged-lines-can-impact-an-election-christina-greer(opens in a new window)
The textbook discusses gerrymandering (or unfairly redrawing constituent boundaries) in historical context (mostly in the 1800s). But it still happens today, though in more sophisticated ways. This TED ED video depicts how gerrymandering works today, and how it seriously affects results in voting.
- “History of the vote: women’s right to vote”
http://www.cpac.ca/en/programs/telling-times/episodes/21252966(opens in a new window)
This historical overview of women’s suffrage in Canada plots out the timeline to full rights for voting for women in Canada. First met with outrage, sarcasm, and mocking, the call for women to have the right to vote changed. Society slowly rejected earlier views of a patriarchal political system based on religious views. But the effects of World War I, and the strong advocacy of women like Manitoba’s Nelly McClung, changed a mindset, and spurred a national process of women’s suffrage (though all women over 18 weren’t included until 1960).
- “Ontario Election: How Doug Ford won a majority government”
https://globalnews.ca/video/4261170/ontario-election-how-doug-ford-won-a-majority-government(opens in a new window)
In the 2018 provincial election, the Ontario Progressive Conservatives won 76 seats, securing a majority government for its leader, Doug Ford. Global television’s election night panel looks at how Ford, a relative newcomer to provincial politics, was able to become the leader of Canada’s largest province.
- “Super PACS explained”
https://www.nytimes.com/video/us/politics/100000003778583/the-age-of-super-pacs.html(opens in a new window)
Political action committees (PACS) combine the interests of different independent groups to push a political agenda or message. “Super” PACS emerged in 2010, and really stepped up their activities during the presidential election campaign in 2012. These new mega-groups became entities on their own, showing a new direction for what used to be smaller, less organized groups. Contributions to these groups, once limited in the US by law, were made unrestricted, meaning individuals and groups with lots of money could more effectively drive a policy issue through these hugely influential groups.
- “BC’s Options for Proportional Representation Explained”
https://thetyee.ca/Video/2018/10/22/PR-Explained-Video/(opens in a new window)
In this video explainer, posted by The Tyee, Megan Dias discusses the three electoral systems that were proposed to British Columbians in the 2018 referendum on electoral reform. Ultimately, British Columbia voters rejected electoral reform, with over 61 per cent casting ballots to stay with the first-past-the-post system. This was B.C.’s third electoral-reform referendum in a decade-and-a-half.
- “1979: Joe Clark’s government falls”
https://www.cbc.ca/archives/entry/1979-joe-clarks-government-falls(opens in a new window)
Joe Clark's minority Progressive Conservative government loses a vote of confidence in the House of Commons two days after its budget is presented before Parliament. As this CBC archive video explains, the country was facing high inflation, rising unemployment and a growing federal deficit. The political contentious provisions in the budget, including the 18-cent per gallon gasoline tax, made it unlikely that the government would win the support of the opposition parties.