Consensus government

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This article is about government systems in northern Canada. For consensus-based government elsewhere, see consensus democracy.

Consensus government is a non-partisan, democratic system of government in use in two Canadian territories.

This system exists in the Northwest Territories and Nunavut, territories with relatively large aboriginal populations, and was accordingly inspired by traditional aboriginal systems of governance. Members of the legislature are elected as independents from single member districts by simple plurality voting. As in other Westminster system parliaments the legislature selects the premier, the speaker and the cabinet from amongst themselves, and the government is dependent on retaining the confidence of the legislature. However due to the absence of political parties there is no formal opposition and instead of party caucuses members regularly participate in a caucus of all members of the legislature.^[1]

While consensus models of discourse often require that a true consensus be reached, in consensus government policies advanced by the government are decided upon by majority vote; the government must therefore support policies that please a majority of the entire legislature if it wants them to pass. Notions of party discipline are not relevant to such deliberations.