Should politicians have an imposed shelf life in Canada?
While U.S. presidents can only serve for two terms, Canadian prime ministers can run for re-election as often as they like. The same is true for provincial premiers.
It is worth noting that Ralph Klein served as Alberta's premier from 1992 to 2006, while Tommy Douglas was Saskatchewan's premier from 1944 to 1961.
The question was asked recently by the non-profit Angus Reid Institute. Their poll found that more than half (54 per cent) of respondents believe term limits for elected politicians are necessary.The most popular choice would be for two, four-year terms.
Fifty-five per cent of Saskatchewan respondents said they would prefer term limits.
Angus Reid reports that political partisanship affected opinions. For example, Conservative voters were more likely to say term limits are necessary (63 per cent), while those who support the Liberal Party said that such rules are unnecessary (46 per cent).
Of note, more than half (54 per cent) of respondents said that a politician who has reached his or her term limit should be able to run again for the same term-limited position after taking some time off.
The full report is available on the Angus Reid website.
