Review of the NFB Documentary "A Losing Game"

 TLDR

Québec’s political system favours the powerful and sidelines diverse voices—much like in Saskatchewan. This revealing video exposes how Québec falls short on fair representation, media access, and electoral reform. A must-watch for anyone questioning the state of democracy in Canada.

Directed by Jenny Cartwright - 2025 | 97 min

Summary

The critique of politics in Québec highlights a deeply entrenched imbalance in its democratic system. While nearly all adults can vote, real political power remains concentrated in the hands of a privileged few. Reforms in political party financing have disproportionately hurt minor parties, as public subsidies now depend heavily on previous election results, ignoring abstention and rejected ballots. This means that even those who do not vote still contribute financially to dominant parties, perpetuating their power.

Québec’s first-past-the-post electoral system is central to this inequity. Despite being simple to use, it produces distorted results, often awarding majority governments that do not reflect the popular vote. Since 1867, only five parties have held power, marginalizing new voices and ideas. Promises of electoral reform have repeatedly been broken, most recently by François Legault’s government.

Minor parties and marginalized communities—racialized people, women, youth, the disabled, and working-class citizens—remain underrepresented, not due to a lack of interest, but because systemic barriers and media exclusion prevent their visibility. The media, which prioritizes ratings over representation, favors major parties and sensational coverage over substantive debate.

The political system reinforces a cycle where established elites maintain control, silencing alternative visions and contributing to public disengagement. Voter turnout suffers, yet abstentions still fuel the very system many protest. In this context, the lack of meaningful diversity in the National Assembly leads to out-of-touch governance, where policies often fail to address lived realities. Ultimately, Québec’s democracy, as it stands, fails to reflect its people.

Windigo Thinking

First, my apologies to Darrens who know how to share. Robin Wall Kimmerer tells of a stand in her community where gardeners shared excess produce. Someone stole the stand, ending the sharing. She named the thief Darren comparing him to Darren Woods, CEO of ExxonMobil, who takes more than he needs. In 2024, Woods’ pay was $44.1 million—equal to 801 Canadians’ annual earnings.

Modified image by Mohamed Hassan from Pixabay

Kimmerer’s Potawatomi culture teaches about the monster Windigo “who suffers from the illness of taking too much and sharing too little.” “Windigo thinking jeopardizes the survival of the community by incentivizing individual accumulation far beyond the satisfaction of ‘enoughness.’” Produce Stand Darren and Profit First Darren are Windigo thinkers.

How many Darrens with Windigo thinking did we elect to our House of Commons? The cost of entering the race suggests many. Darrens must give up paychecks and have an employer willing to grant leave. Then they need Darren-like donors (who benefit from tax credits). How can we reform our system so Darrens don’t dominate?

Proportional representation (PR) produces more diversity because it allocates seats by vote share. This leads to legislatures that better reflect our identities and perspectives. While there are Darrens in the legislature, there are also Alices, Benjamins, Chen, Deepa, Ethans… In 2025, Saskatchewan elected 13 Caseys and 1 Lane. With PR, we’d have elected 9 Caseys, 3 Lanes, and 1 Nicky or benefited from more diversity without strategic voting.

Support electoral reform with PR. Visit FairVote.ca or CharterChallenge.ca to learn how.