Canadian political disconnect 'growing'

Canadian political disconnect 'growing'
Trust in government 'on a steep decline,' new report warns
Published On Wed Jan 27 2010

DECLINE IN VOTER TURNOUT
1993: 69.6%
2008: 59%
Tonda MacCharles Ottawa Bureau

OTTAWA–A new study, on the heels of public clamour over the suspended parliamentary session, claims Canadians are jaundiced about the state of democracy here.
The report, to be released Wednesday by the Institute of Wellbeing, says Canada is experiencing "a huge democratic deficit, with trust in Canadian government and public institutions on a steep decline."
"The disconnect between Canadians and those who govern on their behalf is deep, wide, and growing," said the institute's Lynne Slotek.
"At a time when people are demanding greater accountability and transparency, they see their government institutions becoming more remote and opaque."

http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/756377--canadian-political-disconnect-growing

Most of us are sick of elections between decided by a few suburban ridings bordering the GTA and Vancouver. Both culturally and materially, the cities and the rural areas offer more to Canada than the suburbs.

And rural areas are only a small part of Canada population-wise.

The point I'm getting at is that elections are decided by the same few suburban seats that swing Liberal-Tory or Liberal-Tory-NDP, and that tends to distort the priorities of the governing class at the expense of Canadians who live in city cores and in rural area.

much of the country votes for them, no matter where they live.

lol

Har har har.

may disagree with you . We also vote in larger numbers per capita then urban Canadians .

and the day when farmers ran the country is long over.

of people is what i was saying and governments who dismiss us do so at their own peril . I can also assure you that when most family farms looks at their books at the end of the year we realize that we have very little say in how the country is run .

And ever since I can remember they've been asking for and getting subsidized, and they still complain.

that grow field crops have gone out of business in the last 10 years with all those subsidies . I really don't understand the hostility you have against the almost 1 million farmers and 6.5 million rural Canadians . Despite what this questionable survey found we are very engaged in the political process .

Family-farming has long since changed into Agri-business.

I live in a 'rural' area, and others around here don't farm either.

Canada has moved on.

On edit: I have no more hostility to family-farmers than I do to blacksmiths. It's just that their time is past.

Is the federal vote apportioned on the basis of so many voters per candidate no matter where, or do some districts have more power than their population deserves?

Here in Quebec on a provincial level my vote as a Montrealer counts for much less than those of suburban and especially rural ridings.

Still, for the first time ever my candidate won last time. There is (slight) hope yet.