This, umm, "theory" regarding the Candian Parliament being a systemic breeding ground of dictatorship must have been a leftover April Fool's joke. The ability of any single person to order other people to do exactly as he demands is completely contingent upon the spinelessness of those he seeks to order about. There is nothing in the Canadian or British parliamentary systems that compels members of parties to vote the party line or to acquiesce to a prime minister declaring himself Lord of the Universe. The absence of an opposition party in a provincial legislature, as cited in the article, is the result of the whims of the electorate, not the machinations of the prime minister. Furthermore, there is nothing inherent in the American system that prevents a U.S. president from attempting to act dictatorially. There is, for example, the case of Lincoln and his numerous violations of the basic Constitutional rights of Americans during the War of Secession. Therefore, it is absurd and troubling that ill-founded and hysterical agitation is being directed at Canada. One is bound to question why this being done, and correctly so.
Not so fast there. The House districts are all Gerrymandered, so that in reality very few incumbents need fear their constituents.
My other favorite case of undemocratic actions: the same-sex marriage legalization. The Liberal upper body (and the dictatorship of the NDP) know that if they took the message to the polls, it would fail in 9 of 10 provinces (in at least 4 of them I think a constitutional amendment would easily pass). So they have to resort to only doing it by legislators, not by the people.
I wish I could destroy some groups here - the labor unions are saying there should be NO free vote on the matter for ANY Liberal MPs (hence it would instantly pass). Their words are that free votes are undemocratic "because they take rights away" (no one has the RIGHT to marry)