This conference, chaired by Richard Simeon, FRSC, William Lyon Mackenzie King Visiting Professor of Canadian Studies, and co-chaired by Patti Tamara Lenard, Lecturer, Committee on Degrees in Social Studies, will explore the nature of the democratic deficit in Canada and the United States and compare and contrast proposals to ameliorate this large gap between democratic theory and democratic practice.

Canada and the United States are, by most standards, successful advanced democracies, but in both countries, the ‘quality of democracy’ falls short of the ideal. In both countries, more and more people are choosing against political participation of all kinds; they are voting in fewer numbers; they are less likely to belong to political organizations; less likely to display knowledge of the political system and political actors; and do not trust their elected leaders. Such observations have led both citizens and scholars to worry about a growing ‘democratic deficit’ in both countries.