DCHP-2

consensus government DCHP-2 (October 2016)

• n. — Nunavut and Northwest Territories, Politics

  a system of government without political parties where all candidates for the Legislative Assembly are elected as independents.

  Type: 1. Origin — In Canada, the term refers almost exclusively to the governments of two territories, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut (see 2008 and 1999 quotations), since these are the only regions in Canada with formal consensus governments (see Chart 2). Consensus government in these territories reflects the traditional decision-making processes of the local Aboriginal peoples, who value "maximum cooperation, effective use of leadership resources and common accountability" (see 2009 quotation, and LA NWT and Gov't of Nunavut references).
  The term is most prevalent in Canada (see Chart 1). In other domains, consensus government may refer to the potential formation of governments in developing countries, e.g. Madagascar, or occasionally to governmental bodies of functioning democracies, e.g. postwar Austria.
  See also COD-2, s.v. "consensus government", which is marked "Cdn".

  See also: MLA