Dennis Pilon was quoted in a CBC article about Calgary’s newly elected mayor, Jeromy Farkas. The article notes only one in 10 eligible voters supported Farkas, showing how Canada’s first-past-the-post system elects leaders based on the plurality of votes rather than majority. Pilon argues that this system makes the concept of political mandates questionable as votes are rarely in response to the candidate’s policies. He says it is best to disregard mandates because by doing so it would encourage politicians to listen more broadly to its electorate’s needs.
Pilon holds a PhD in Political Science from York University. His research interests include politics and government, labour, elections, democratic reform, class analysis and Canadian/comparative politics.
Read the full article in CBC.