Consensus government - Definition and Overview

Consensus government is a system of government which does not elect members of political parties but rather rule based on consensus.

In Canada, this system exists in the Northwest Territories and Nunavut, territories with large First Peoples population, and was accordingly inspired by Aboriginal systems of governance. In this system, all citizens of a territory are entitled to stand for election in their electoral district, and to vote for an individual as their Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA). Once the Legislature is constituted, its members elect the Premier, the Speaker, and the Cabinet from amongst themselves.

Policies advanced by the government are decided upon by majority vote; the government must therefore support policies that please a majority of the members if it wants them to pass.

• About Consensus Government (Gov't of Nunavut) (http://www.gov.nu.ca/Nunavut/English/about/cg.pdf)

List of consensus governments:

• Nunavut, Canada
• Northwest Territories, Canada

Example Usage of government