11. he Canadian Election Template: Stronger Elections at Home, Stronger Canada Abroad
- Author:
- Brian Klaas and Aaron Shull
- Publication Date:
- 12-2021
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Centre for International Governance Innovation
- Abstract:
- For the last four years, the world’s most powerful champion of democratization has been largely absent from the global stage. The United States is now poised to support a far more pro-democracy agenda, with greater insistence on free and fair elections as part of American foreign policy. Indeed, US President Joe Biden has redoubled efforts by hosting a global summit for democracy, and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has committed to partnering with the United States on supporting global democracy. Nonetheless, the current landscape is bleak. Freedom House’s metrics show 15 consecutive years of democratic decline. Unprecedented threats to elections across the world have emerged. Geopolitical adversaries have used hacking, disinformation campaigns and other information warfare attacks to destabilize democracies. Those threats rightly gained prominence after the 2016 US elections. However, while the focus shifted to international threats, domestic actors began to borrow Russian-style tactics, spreading false information and sowing doubt on election integrity. Too often, these campaigns achieve their goals — and democracy suffers.
- Topic:
- International Cooperation, Elections, Democracy, and Leadership
- Political Geography:
- Canada and North America