ABSTRACT
This chapter argues that disenchantment with political institutions can be traced to confusion and indecision about the kind of democratic regime that Canadians want. It suggests that Canadians inherited a regime based on one set of ideals and processes and have begun to inject the elements of another. The chapter argues that the Canadian Constitution has traditionally emphasized "integrative" institutional processes which have, in turn, produced an elitist form of democracy. It discusses the reaction to this discovery, and speculate on the reason why it is so negative, it is necessary to consider just what the choices are with respect to democratic institutions. Canada's parliamentary system would seem to mark it off clearly from the United States, although the presence of federal institutions and a Charter of Rights and Freedoms makes Canadian parliamentarism somewhat peculiar by British standards. The year 1980 was a watershed year in the development of democracy in Canada.
