Ottawa Wellbeing Report – Democratic Engagement This is part of a series of reports that provide a snapshot of community wellbeing for Ottawa. Following the Canadian Index of Wellbeing framework, each report presents data from the eight domains of wellbeing. These domains are: Community Vitality, Democratic Engagement, Education, Environment, Healthy Populations, Leisure and Culture, Living Standards, and Time Use. This report presents data for the Democratic Engagement domain. Due to gaps in available data at the local level, data are presented on selected indicators within the eight domains of wellbeing. Furthermore, some of the indicators found in Ottawa reports differ from those in the Canadian Index of Wellbeing. In this report, the data are presented for the City of Ottawa, unless otherwise specified. Where possible, data for Ottawa are compared to those for Ontario and/or Canada.
Key Messages • • •
Voter turnout in Ottawa is declining for municipal, provincial, and federal elections. Of all three levels of government, the lowest voter turnout is found in municipal elections. In Ottawa, women are under-represented in local government, where only 25% of elected officials are female. Among Ottawa residents, overall satisfaction with the performance of their municipal government is moderate. Residents are almost three times more likely to be very dissatisfied than to be very satisfied with their municipal government.
The Democratic Engagement domain of the Canadian Index of Wellbeing provides a thematic approach to measuring democratic engagement. It describes engagement at the individual, government, and global levels. The indicators found in this domain encompass all three themes and they go beyond measuring electoral participation to include attitudes toward politics, satisfaction with democracy, gender equality in government, and Canada’s commitment to global development. This report presents selected indicators from the Democratic Engagement domain of the Canadian Index of Wellbeing for Ottawa (refer to Table A1 of the Appendix for a list of indicators). What is the current data telling us? Voter turnout Voter turnout is a traditional and common measure of individual engagement and a country’s democratic health (Prairie Wild Consulting Co. and Holden & Associates, 2010; Barnes and Virgint, 2010). High voter turnout is often desired as it is more likely to reflect the interests of the larger share of the population (Conference Board of Canada, 2014). On the other hand, low voter turnout has been viewed as a sign of dissatisfaction and indifference about the way the country is being governed (Conference Board of Canada, 2014). Groups of particular demographic and socioeconomic characteristics, such as the young, the poor, and those who are less educated, are more likely to be non1
voters (Barnes and Virgine, 2010; Conference Board of Canada, 2014). This tends to skew policy as the election outcome may address the concerns of voters while the issues of non-voters may largely be ignored. Voter turnout in Ottawa has experienced some fluctuations but is generally trending downward. The decline is consistent with falling voter turnout rates in the country. In 2003, voter turnout was at an alltime low where only 33% of Ottawa residents turned out to cast a vote in the municipal election (Community Foundation of Ottawa, 2006). This was a significant decline from 47% in 2000 (Community Foundation of Ottawa, 2006). The municipal election garnered 54% of voters in 2006 (City of Ottawa, 2001-2014). In 2010, this percentage decreased to 44%. Across all wards, voter turnout declined from 2006 to 2010. The wards with the lowest voter turnout in both the 2006 and 2010 municipal elections were Rideau-Vanier and Gloucester-Southgate. Stittsville-Kanata West, Kanata North, and West Carleton-March had the highest voter turnout in the 2006 election but showed the largest decline in the 2010 election. Refer to Table A2 of the Appendix for voter turnout by ward for both 2006 and 2010 municipal elections. Voter participation among Ottawa residents in recent federal, provincial, and municipal elections is shown in Figure 1. Although more Ottawa residents vote in federal and provincial elections compared to municipal elections, voter turnout at all three levels is experiencing a decline. Voter turnout in the 2011 federal election was 70%. This figure was 72% in the 2006 federal election. A drop in voter turnout was also observed at the provincial level, from 56% in 2007 to 52% in 2011. Figure 1. Ottawa Voter Turnout in Federal, Provincial, and Municipal Elections.
Voter turnout (%)
80
60
72
70 56
52
54 44
40
20
0 Federal general election, Provincial general Municipal election, 2006 2006 & 2011 election, 2007 & 2011 & 2010
Sources: Elections Canada. (2014). Past elections. Retrieved from http://www.elections.ca/content.aspx?section=ele&dir=pas&document=index&lang=e; Elections Ontario. (2014) Official Past Election Results. Retrieved from http://www.elections.on.ca/enCA/Tools/PastResults.htm;
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City of Ottawa. (2001-2014). Previous elections. Retrieved from http://ottawa.ca/en/city-hall/your-citygovernment/previous-election-results
Ratio of registered to eligible voters The ratio of registered to eligible voters is a proxy for governments’ ability to reach its citizens through communication around voting in an election (Prairie Wild Consulting Co. and Holden & Associates, 2010). It reflects the efforts that the government is making to empower its citizens to participate in governance. In Ottawa, the number of registered voters was 560,431 and the number of eligible voters was 590,530, giving a ratio of approximately 95 to 100 voters. This ratio is similar to that observed nationally for federal elections (Prairie Wild Consulting Co. and Holden & Associates, 2010). Representation of Women in Government The participation of women in politics has been shown to result in policy and legislation changes for women, children and families that reflect the rights and priorities of these groups (UNICEF, 2006). Increasing women’s participation in politics can empower women, promote gender parity, and fulfill children’s rights (UNICEF, 2006). In Canada, there exists a gender gap in political representation. Women representation in Parliament has remained steady around 20% since the 1990s with very little progress (Prairie Wild Consulting Co. and Holden & Associates, 2010; McInturff, 2013). In Ottawa, females account for 51.5% of the total population (Statistics Canada, 2012). The proportion of women elected to Ottawa City Council (including the Mayor) is 25%, which is far below the point of equal representation of women in government. This percentage is also below the 30% minimum percentage of women necessary for government to adequately reflect women’s concerns as defined by the United Nations (Federation of Canadian Municipalities, 2013). Compared to the Ontario average where 24% of mayors and councillors are female, the percentage in Ottawa is similar (Federation of Canadian Municipalities, 2013). Satisfaction with Municipal Government A telephone survey conducted by the Quorus consulting group (2011) showed that roughly 37% of Ottawa residents were “very” or “somewhat satisfied” with the performance of their municipal government. Of those who are satisfied with their local government, 4% felt “very satisfied”. There are just as many residents who felt dissatisfied overall (22% felt “somewhat dissatisfied” and 14% felt “very dissatisfied”) with their municipal government as those who are satisfied. Almost one-third, or 28%, were “indifferent”. (Quorus consulting group, 2011) When asked how they felt about specific municipal government services, Ottawa residents are most satisfied with garbage collection services. There were 22% of residents who rated the service as “excellent” and 58% who rated the service as “good”. Recycling and green bin collection services, police services, and management of local recreational facilities are among the services with which Ottawa residents are most satisfied. The municipal government’s fiscal management performance was among 3
the services that Ottawa residents were least satisfied with. Only 4% felt that the city was “excellent” in managing its fiscal budget and a much higher 24% felt that the city’s performance was poor. Ottawa residents were also dissatisfied with their public transportation service, with 5% rating the service as “excellent” and 33% rating it as “poor”. (Quorus consulting group, 2011) References Barnes, A., and Virgint, E. (2013). Youth Voter Turnout in Canada: 1. Trends and Issues (In Brief). Library of Parliament, Ottawa. Retrieved from http://www.parl.gc.ca/Content/LOP/ResearchPublications/2010-19-e.pdf. City of Ottawa. (2001-2014). Previous elections. Retrieved from http://ottawa.ca/en/city-hall/your-citygovernment/previous-election-results. Conference Board of Canada. (2014). Voter Turnout. Retrieved from http://www.conferenceboard.ca/hcp/details/society/voter-turnout.aspx. McInturff, K. (2013). Closing Canada’s Gender Gap – Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives. Prairie Wild Consulting Co. and Holden & Associates. (2010). Democratic Engagement – A report of the Canadian Index of Wellbeing (CIW). Waterloo: Canadian Index of Wellbeing. Quorus consulting group. (2011). Local Residents Say Public Transportation is the Most Important Issue Facing Ottawa Today. Retrieved from http://www.quorusconsulting.com/pdf/Quorus%20Local%20Government%20Performance%20%20Fall%202011.pdf. Statistics Canada. (2012). Ottawa, Ontario (Code 3506008) and Ontario (Code 35) (table). Census Profile. 2011 Census. Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 98-316-XWE. Ottawa. Released October 24, 2012. Available from: http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2011/dppd/prof/index.cfm?Lang=E. UNICEF. (2006). “Equality in Politics and Government” and “Reaping the Double Dividend of Gender Equality,” in The State of the World Children 2007, pp. 51–87. New York: The United Nations Children’s Fund Retrieved from http://www.unicef.org/sowc07/report/report.php.
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Appendix Table A1. A comparison between deadline indicators from the Democratic Engagement domain of the Canadian Index of Wellbeing and the indicators presented in this report. Domain Democratic Engagement
Canadian Index of Wellbeing Headline Indicators Voter turnout – percentage of Canadians voting in the federal election Ratio of Registered to Eligible Voters Representation of Women in Parliament – percentage of women in Parliament Satisfaction with Democracy – percentage of people who are very satisfied with the way democracy works in Canada
Indicators presented in this report Voter turnout – percentage of Ottawa residents voting in the federal, provincial, and municipal elections Ratio of Registered to Eligible Voters Representation of Women in Government – percentage of women elected to municipal government Satisfaction with municipal government – percentage of people who are very or somewhat satisfied with their municipal government
Interest in Politics – percentage of people reporting not interested in politics at all Policy Impact Perception – percentage of people who report that policies of the Federal government have made them better off Volunteer Rate for Political Activities – Volunteer rate by organization type: Law, Advocacy & Politics International Aid (Net Official Development Assistance as a percentage of Gross National Income)
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Table A2. Ottawa Voter Turnout in Municipal Election by Ward, 2006 and 2010. Ward 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22
Ward Name
OrlĂŠans Innes Barrhaven Kanata North West Carleton-March Stittsville-Kanata West Bay College Knoxdale-Merivale Gloucester-Southgate Beacon Hill-Cyrville Rideau-Vanier Rideau-Rockcliffe Somerset Kichissippi River Capital Alta Vista Cumberland Osgoode Rideau-Goulbourn Gloucester-South Nepean 23 Kanata South Total Ottawa
2006 Voter 2010 Voter Change from Turnout (%) Turnout (%) previous election 51 43 -8 53 43 -10 52 42 -10 61 45 -16 62 46 -16 64 45 -19 56 51 -5 55 45 -10 51 44 -7 47 40 -7 49 44 -5 46 39 -7 48 42 -6 50 43 -7 58 51 -7 51 42 -9 57 52 -5 54 45 -9 50 43 -7 55 44 -11 60 50 -10 55 41 -14 61 54
46 44
-15 -10
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