Potential Canadian federal electoral reform event dialogue topics and questions

Asking questions is a great way to start your dialogue, or to keep it going when participants seem to have run out of ideas. Try to think about the interests, needs and knowledge of your dialogue participants when selecting the number and type of questions you will feature in your Canadian federal electoral reform dialogue.

Feel free to pick and choose from the list below, or develop your own. You may wish to focus on one topic area or pick one or more questions from each topic.

Note: for a 90-120 minute dialogue you will want to select 3-4 questions.

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• Potential Canadian federal electoral reform event dialogue topics and questions

General

1. What do you think could be done to help more Canadians feel more interested and involved in democracy?
   
2. Do you and/or the people you know usually vote in elections? Why or why not?
   
3. Have you and/or the people you know faced barriers or challenges when voting in the past?
   
   
   1. If so, what were those barriers or challenges?
   2. What do you think could be done to overcome barriers people might face when voting?
4. Do you feel the House of Commons represents Canadians effectively? Why or why not?
   
5. How do you think we can measure the health of Canada’s democracy? What do you think we could use as indicators of its health?
   
6. What are some leadership qualities that you want from your elected representative?
   
   
   1. Do you think that there are certain qualities and attributes that are overvalued/undervalued in our diverse society? If so, what?
7. What do you feel the relationship between an elected Member of Parliament and citizens in his or her electoral district should look like?

Democratic principles and values

1. Of the guiding principles for Canadian federal electoral reform (effectiveness and legitimacy, engagement, accessibility and inclusiveness, integrity and local representation):
   
   
   1. What principle or principles are most important to you? Why?
   2. What principle or principles are least important to you? Why?
   3. Are there any principle(s) that you feel are missing? Why?
2. Are there certain groups that you feel are excluded from the current electoral system?
   
   
   1. If so, why do you feel that they are excluded?
   2. What do you think could be done to help make Canada’s electoral system more inclusive?

Canadian federal electoral reforms

1. What do you think are some strengths of our current federal electoral system? What are some of the weaknesses?
   
2. Are there electoral systems other than our current federal electoral system that you have heard about?
   
   
   1. If so, what have you heard?
   2. Are there things that you like about these alternatives? If so, what?
   3. Are there concerns you have about these alternatives? If so, what?
3. How do you feel about electronic voting? Why?
   
4. How do you feel about online voting? Why?
   
5. How do you feel about mandatory voting? Why?
   
6. What other changes, if any, to the methods and procedures we use to vote might you like to see? Why?