3. An unusual decade-long Canadian experiment in
deliberative democracy
DEMOCRACY'S SECOND ACT | OECD | @petermacleod | @masslbp
4. Share the story of this experiment and why I think it points towards
democracy’s second act.
DEMOCRACY'S SECOND ACT | OECD | @petermacleod | @masslbp
6. “…people who have so little going on in their lives that they are prepared to spend 18 weekends discussing
proportional representation”
Christina Blizzard, The Toronto Sun
DEMOCRACY'S SECOND ACT | OECD | @petermacleod | @masslbp
7. “…looking for some excitement in their humdrum lives."“
Ian Urquhart, The Toronto Star
DEMOCRACY'S SECOND ACT | OECD | @petermacleod | @masslbp
10. 38 Citizens’ Assemblies and Reference Panels across Canada
Compensation for municipal councillors
Heavy infrastructure
Airport Noise
Municipal Revenues
Pharmaceutical insurance
Mental Health
Municipal Planning Policies
Cancer Care
Public Housing
Digital Identity and Privacy
Regional transportation priorities
Housing legislation
Income polarization
Supervised Injection Services
Hospital Services and Budgeting
Municipal Amalgamation
Long-term land use planning
Planning priorities,
City of Toronto
Noise management,
Toronto Pearson
Condominium legislation,
Government of Ontario
DEMOCRACY'S SECOND ACT | OECD | @petermacleod | @masslbp
11. Citizens’ Reference Panel on Pharmacare in Canada (2016)
DEMOCRACY'S SECOND ACT | OECD | @petermacleod | @masslbp
12. Canadian Citizens’ Assembly on Democratic Expression — Harmful Speech and Digital Technologies (2020)
DEMOCRACY'S SECOND ACT | OECD | @petermacleod | @masslbp
13. Three deliberative projects within the ‘wave’
Constitutional Parliamentary Regulatory
Resolve intractable
national issues
Reform
parliamentary
institutions
Expand the scope of
citizenship
DEMOCRACY'S SECOND ACT | OECD | @petermacleod | @masslbp
14. Problem definition and policy development Consultation Action
Update the policy sequence
DEMOCRACY'S SECOND ACT | OECD | @petermacleod | @masslbp
15. Problem definition and policy development Consultation Action
Update the policy sequence
Problem
identification
Consultation Action
Citizen
Deliberation
Policy Development
DEMOCRACY'S SECOND ACT | OECD | @petermacleod | @masslbp
16. A different way of doing politics
DEMOCRACY'S SECOND ACT | OECD | @petermacleod | @masslbp
17. Fundamentally, democracy is about enfranchisement.
It is about widening the circle, adding seats to the table.
DEMOCRACY'S SECOND ACT | OECD | @petermacleod | @masslbp
18. This deliberative wave is the start of democracy’s second act
DEMOCRACY'S SECOND ACT | OECD | @petermacleod | @masslbp
20. Men with titles
Men with land
Men of the correct faith
Men
Women with men-at-arms
Women
Minority groups
Indigenous peoples
Prisoners
People with developmental disabilities
Children
DEMOCRACY'S SECOND ACT | OECD | @petermacleod | @masslbp
21. Capability
DEMOCRACY'S SECOND ACT | OECD | @petermacleod | @masslbp
Men with titles
Men with land
Men of the correct faith
Men
Women with men-at-arms
Women
Minority groups
Indigenous peoples
Prisoners
People with developmental disabilities
Children
22. DEMOCRACY'S SECOND ACT | OECD | @petermacleod | @masslbp
A shifting ratio
1:1
One person,
one vote
23. DEMOCRACY'S SECOND ACT | OECD | @petermacleod | @masslbp
A shifting ratio
1:1 v 1:100,000
One person,
one vote
One representative, one hundred
thousand voters
24. DEMOCRACY'S SECOND ACT | OECD | @petermacleod | @masslbp
Constitutional Parliamentary
Regulatory
Where’s our best prospect for driving down
the second ratio?
25. DEMOCRACY'S SECOND ACT | OECD | @petermacleod | @masslbp
We are living in a populist and anti-liberal age
27. People want a say but they’re also willing to serve.
DEMOCRACY'S SECOND ACT | OECD | @petermacleod | @masslbp
28. People want a say but they’re also willing to serve.
The problem isn’t that we ask too much of people, but too little.
DEMOCRACY'S SECOND ACT | OECD | @petermacleod | @masslbp
29. To learn more, visit masslbp.com
Peter MacLeod, Principal, MASS LBP
@petermacleod @masslbp