Create Citizen Assemblies to make your voices heard
CV21 will make it a priority to establish Citizen Assemblies in every federal riding.
CV21 believes that our political democracy must amount to more than just an election every four years. The input of ordinary citizens is the only way to renew the public’s faith in our government and the public policies and decisions enacted in our name. CV21 believes that groups of ordinary people can make good and wise decisions through a process of discussion, debate and deliberation amongst themselves.
The problem
Canada faces a deep democratic deficit, with public trust in government at historic lows due to perceived political powerlessness, corporate influence, and failure to address major crises like climate change, economic inequality, and housing affordability. Vision 21 proposes establishing Citizen Assemblies in every federal riding to restore public participation in decision-making. These assemblies, the membership of which would be chosen at random, would meet monthly, would be independent, free from special interest influence, supported by neutral experts, and have the power to study any issue. MPs would be required to engage with their local assemblies and respond publicly to their recommendations. The goal is to create a legitimate, ongoing, and participatory process that strengthens democracy beyond elections. Citizen Assemblies avoid the influence of money, campaigning or self-serving political elites who have long forgotten what the ‘public interest’ consists of.
“Citizen assemblies are designed to be representative of the broader population, usually through selection methods to ensure a cross-section of demographics, including age, gender, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status. The aim of a citizen’s assembly is to provide a democratic and deliberative forum where citizens can deeply engage with complex issues, beyond the constraints of traditional political processes.”
Denise Hearn and Vass Bednar, The Big Fix - How Companies Capture Markets and Harm Canadians, 2024
Our solution
Canada Vision 21 proposes a model for Citizen Assemblies built on an approach in which 30 members of the public are randomly selected from each federal electoral district. Serving one-year terms with monthly weekend meetings—preferably in person—participants would receive modest stipends covering expenses, including childcare or eldercare. Membership rotates annually to balance fresh perspectives with continuity, and members participate solely as private citizens, free from any corporate, organizational, or special-interest affiliations. Their mandate is to deliberate from a community and public-interest perspective, insulated from lobbying pressures. A neutral, publicly funded secretariat would provide expert, non-partisan information and logistical support, while members may also bring forward their own research or expert testimony. Assemblies would have complete autonomy to investigate any topic they consider important, whether or not it aligns with current parliamentary legislation, and remain independent from government influence. Local Members of Parliament would be required to meet regularly with assemblies, consider their recommendations, and respond publicly. To foster transparency and public trust, the media would be obliged to announce meetings in advance and report on their work. This structure aims to strengthen grassroots democratic engagement, ensure informed, balanced deliberations, and connect citizen perspectives directly to political decision-making