Well, you really got me thinking about Canadian history. In 1982, I was not all that politically active. The significance of moving the Canadian constitution from Britain to Canada was lost to me. It was a period of where I did not care that much. My attitude is/was typical of many, many other citizens.
Along with the transfer of the Constitution came the “Canadian Charter of Charter of Rights and Freedoms.” I have not even read a synopsis of this document!!!!!! I must fix this.
If you are interested: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_Charter_of_Rights_and_Freedoms
I got involved in a political party in 1986. Then I cared a lot more, but I was also very partisan.
THere were two suggested amendments to the Constitution, in 1987 and 1992. Both failed. Since then, politicians have been scared to touch the constitution. So, like the Americans, our ability to constitutionally evolve is frozen. The attempt to reform Canada’s electoral structures in 2016 exhibits the frozenness of our constitution.
But reading through the above wiki article suggests that the judicial side has some leeway in creating new societal directions even if Parliament and the citizenry do not agree.
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One thing that I discovered a few years back is that Canadian municipalities do not legally exist. Any city, town, or village can be turned into provincial control at the stroke of provincial legislation.
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There must be a psychological reason why, en masse, people do not want to make some great societal changes. Back in 1982, I knew about the repatriation of the Canadian constitution, but I did not care one way or the other. Yet many Canadians citizens did care enough to oppose it, almost preferring British rule.
And even after this experience that change really did not affect the lives of average people that much — and Canada has not become some kind of banana republic, people still oppose such changes — en masse.
Going from FPTP to PR will not make that much difference for average people in the decade after such a change. Political parties and voters will continue to do their usual things. But there will be a political realignment for sure, but the world will not collapse.