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Article: Electoral systems and representative legislatures.
- Article from:
- Canadian Parliamentary Review
- Article date:
- September 22, 1998
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1998 Canadian Parliamentary Association. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Lisa Young is Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Calgary. This article is based on a presentation to the Canadian Study of Parliament Group on April 25, 1998.
There are several reasons for wanting to see more representative legislative bodies in Canada. At the symbolic level, a legislative body that reflects the diversity of Canadian society affirms that society's inclusiveness and egalitarian nature. When legislative bodies fail this test, the legitimacy of the government they support suffers in the eyes of excluded groups. Moreover, some Canadians believe that a more representative legislature or House of Commons ...