Beyond Elections: Mini Publics as a Tool for Democratic Renewal with Dr. Seána Glennon

Across the world, democracies are grappling with declining trust, political polarization and questions about how to involve citizens more meaningfully in public decision-making. One response has been the rise of deliberative mini-publics: innovative processes that bring together representative groups of ordinary citizens, selected by lot, to learn, deliberate and make recommendations on complex legal and policy issues. 

In this episode of Group Chat recorded live at the Samara Centre for Democracy, host Sabreena Delhon sits down with Dr. Seána Glennon, Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Ottawa’s Faculty of Law. Dr. Glennon introduces us to the idea of deliberative mini-publics and explores how they are being used globally as a tool of democratic renewal. She will focus in particular on Ireland’s internationally recognised Citizens’ Assembly process, which played a pivotal role in shaping the reform of the country’s abortion law following a period of polarisation and political paralysis. Drawing on these experiences, we turn to the Canadian context: what can the Irish model teach us about tackling complex and divisive issues, and could similar approaches strengthen democracy in Canada?

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