Readers React: Canada shows the U.S. how to run a good election

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper speaks during a campaign stop at a steel manufacturer in Burlington, Ontario, on Sept. 1. Canada's federal election will be held on Oct. 19.

Sept. 2, 2015 9:31 AM PT

To the editor: For those of us who have studied parliamentary democracies, it’s no surprise that our northern neighbor has a stable, well-run and efficient democratic system. Limited election seasons, limited money expended on campaigning and national broadcasters obligated to offer free on-air opportunities for candidates to get their message across: What’s not to like? (“The hip dullness of Canada’s politics,” Op-Ed, Aug. 30)

Canadians, unlike their southern neighbors (us), recognize the toxicity of unlimited money flowing from corporate special interests to control government. And naturally, the executive (the prime minister) simply leads the majority party in Parliament, which runs the government. The opposition party cannot paralyze the executive branch as it does here.

And best of all: No Donald Trump. Indeed, the Canadians could teach us how a real democracy should operate.

Bob Teigan, Santa Susana

To the editor: McManus provides a peek at Canadian national politics, which make our system look like it was dreamed up by a reality show producer.

Candidates there campaign for three months and will spend $40 million this election, compared to the $7 billion that will be spent here. Canada’s parliamentary system ensures that a selected leader has the support of a majority of the legislature; thus, gridlock isn’t an affliction.

And national healthcare is provided for everyone. Of course, it costs much less than our dysfunctional system based on a so-called free market, so it must be worse, right?

Two questions come to mind after reading McManus’ piece: First, if our Founding Fathers had known how our constitutional democracy would turn out, with politicians selling themselves to the highest bidders, would they instead have chosen the parliamentary concept that Canada ended up with?

Second, if the Canadians are interested in making their Keystone XL project a financial success, why not build their own refineries in Canada instead of shipping the oil to Louisiana, thereby producing the gasoline and diesel fuel that can be sold at whatever price and profit margin the refinery desires, just like in California?

Thomas Oatway, Valencia

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