At ceremonies marking the 80th anniversary of D-Day in France a month ago, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau delivered a warning about the state of democracy.

It was, he said on Juno Beach, 害羞草研究所渟till under threat today, 害羞草研究所� threatened by aggressors who want to redraw borders. It is threatened by demagogy, misinformation, disinformation, foreign interference.害羞草研究所�

With Canadians poised to go to the polls in at least three provincial elections this fall, and a federal vote due next year, concerns about the strength of democracy are being raised on multiple fronts.

But is Canada害羞草研究所檚 democracy truly under threat? Political scientists say while Canadian politics and institutions are facing a myriad of concerns, the situation isn害羞草研究所檛 dire overall.

害羞草研究所淔rom a comparative standpoint, Canada害羞草研究所檚 democracy is quite robust, and it害羞草研究所檚 quite strong from an institutional standpoint, in the sense that our elections are overall perceived as being fair,害羞草研究所� said Daniel B茅land, director of McGill University害羞草研究所檚 Institute for the Study of Canada.

害羞草研究所淏ut again, it depends on what you害羞草研究所檙e looking at.害羞草研究所�

Some of the most prominent concerns have emerged from allegations of foreign interference.

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has accused Trudeau of 害羞草研究所渁cting against Canada害羞草研究所檚 interest害羞草研究所� for his handling of the allegations, while NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh said Trudeau had sent a message that he is 害羞草研究所渨illing to accept some level of foreign interference,害羞草研究所� weakening democracy and undermining the confidence of Canadians.

Trudeau and the NDP, meanwhile, accused the Conservatives of undermining democratic institutions by trying to oust House of Commons Speaker Greg Fergus in May.

There was also an April cybersecurity attack on British Columbia government email addresses, which the province said was likely the work of a 害羞草研究所渟tate or state-sponsored害羞草研究所� actor.

Premier David Eby asked Trudeau this month for access to information from Canada害羞草研究所檚 spy agency to help protect the people of the province and its democratic institutions.

B.C. goes to the polls on Oct. 19, while the New Brunswick election is set for two days later and the Saskatchewan election is Oct. 28. In Nova Scotia, Premier Tim Houston has cast doubt on whether he害羞草研究所檒l stick with a fixed election date next summer, amid speculation of an early election.

In a 2023 report by democracy watchdog Freedom House, Canada scored a near-perfect 98 out of 100, losing points only for Quebec害羞草研究所檚 Bill 21 that bans some government employees from wearing religious symbols, and inequalities facing Indigenous and black communities.

The German Sustainable Governance Indicators project ranked Canada害羞草研究所檚 quality of democracy 10th in the world, again noting inequality with Indigenous communities as well as 害羞草研究所渃ash-for-access害羞草研究所� meetings between politicians and donors as areas of concern.

Patrick Fafard, professor of social sciences at the graduate school of public and international affairs at the University of Ottawa, said while the international rankings are encouraging, it is clear there are areas that must be addressed to maintain a high-quality democracy.

Fafard said one of the most visible changes in Canadian politics is the increasing pressure on politicians to engage in 害羞草研究所渟hort-term, chase-the-news-cycle害羞草研究所� partisan rhetoric, which not only corrodes public trust in government but also can be prone to misinformation.

害羞草研究所淚 think I can say quite confidently that I害羞草研究所檓 more concerned now than I would have been, say, 10 or 20 years ago,害羞草研究所� Fafard said. 害羞草研究所淭here害羞草研究所檚 a constant challenge that politicians are tempted to engage in sloganeering and simple solutions, but problems are complex.

害羞草研究所淭he current controversy over foreign interference is a wonderful example of that,害羞草研究所� he said.

The problem 害羞草研究所渋s not one that can be solved by finger-pointing and trying to apportion blame,害羞草研究所� he said.

害羞草研究所淚t requires that politicians think in the medium to long term and ask, 害羞草研究所榳hat can we do to first address the problem but also maintain the public害羞草研究所檚 confidence in elections?害羞草研究所�

害羞草研究所淎nd that is a different question than, 害羞草研究所榟ow can I turn this to my short-term advantage?害羞草研究所櫤π卟菅芯克鶟

University of Toronto professor emeritus of history Robert Bothwell said angry, almost vitriolic, language in Canadian politics shouldn害羞草研究所檛 be concerning. It isn害羞草研究所檛 a new phenomenon, he said, and other periods have experienced even more contentious rhetoric.

害羞草研究所淚f you look back to First World War, Canadian politics were incredibly confrontational and very nasty,害羞草研究所� Bothwell said. 害羞草研究所淧eople accusing each other of treason, and cartoons appeared in papers that I think could reasonably be described as racist.害羞草研究所�

Fafard agreed that rhetoric and misinformation driven by populism isn害羞草研究所檛 new 害羞草研究所� what is new is that it is being 害羞草研究所渃o-ordinated and funded in a way that we害羞草研究所檝e never ever seen before.害羞草研究所�

Such trends elsewhere 害羞草研究所� especially November害羞草研究所檚 U.S. presidential election 害羞草研究所� are also influencing the Canadian political landscape, he said.

Donald Trump害羞草研究所檚 bid to return to power has coincided with election denialism in the U.S. Congress.

A new report released last month by States United Action, a group that tracks election deniers, said nearly one-third of the lawmakers in the U.S. Congress supported in some way Trump害羞草研究所檚 bid to overturn the 2020 presidential election results or otherwise cast doubt on the reliability of elections. Several more are hoping to join them, running for election this year to the house and senate.

害羞草研究所淚t is an incredibly troubling phenomenon in the U.S. context, 害羞草研究所� where politicians are going out of their way to raise public doubt about the elections and electoral interference,害羞草研究所� Fafard said.

He noted, however, that Canada does not appear to have anywhere near the same level of cynicism about public institutions, and similar strains on democracy shouldn害羞草研究所檛 appear in the short and medium term.

害羞草研究所淚n the long term, I害羞草研究所檓 not sure,害羞草研究所� Fafard said. 害羞草研究所淭he more this goes on in the United States, the more influence you will have over time. But at least in the short term, I think we害羞草研究所檙e somewhat insulated, at least from the extreme argument that says our elections can害羞草研究所檛 be trusted.害羞草研究所�

Fafard said it is important for Canada to address 害羞草研究所渞oot causes害羞草研究所� of mistrust. He said angry political rhetoric during the First World War and before the Second World War was driven by economic dislocation, and policymakers should address current economic vulnerability felt by many in the country.

B茅land said while there are concerns about democracies abroad, solutions may also come from beyond Canada害羞草研究所檚 borders when it comes to maintaining democracy.

He said compulsory voting in Australia was an example of the type of electoral reform that Canada could examine.

害羞草研究所淲e should look at the reforms that have been adopted in other countries to address the democratic deficit or the apparent democratic crisis, and see whether these policies are working or not,害羞草研究所� B茅land said.

害羞草研究所淎nd if they are working, we can look into maybe adapting some of these policies so that we should not really start from the perspective that we are unique and our problems don害羞草研究所檛 exist elsewhere.害羞草研究所�

害羞草研究所� With files from The Associated Press.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 29, 2024.

Chuck Chiang, The Canadian Press