Canadians are disengaged from political processes because Canada's political institutions and leadership are no longer accountable and responsive to their needs. This arises from the dysfunctional and opaque terms of relations between various levels of government.
The fact that the plight of Aboriginal Canadians still has to be singled out for special attention in the early 21st century conclusively demonstrates the urgent need for outside-the-box thinking and new institutional structures to support good governance.