Law, Legitimacy and the Power of Ordinary People

Maya Rosebrugh-Galipeau

Law, Legitimacy and the Power of Ordinary People  

Recently I’ve been having conversations with Professor Jonathan Rose, Head of the Political Studies Department at Queen’s University, regarding his work involving citizens’s assemblies. His research explores how ordinary citizens, when given time, resources and respect, can deliberate on complex political issues as effectively as elected officials. He has served as the Academic Director of Ontario Citizens’ Assembly on Electoral Reform, created and led the Prince Edward County Citizens’ Assembly, co-lead the Lethbridge Citizens’ Assembly and was the Academic Lead for the Yukon Citizens’ Assembly. In addition to these roles, he is also a recognized author, contributing extensively to the study and practice of citizen participation in governance. 

Firstly, what are citizens’ assemblies: 

Citizens’ assemblies are a gathering of people from all backgrounds, crossing age, cultures, gender, race, education, learning styles and expanding from coast to coast or rural to urban areas, to learn, discuss and make recommendations typically on topics aimed at creating a vibrant, participatory democracy. These randomly selected participants represent the diversity of the population of the targeted area, and serve to bring public wisdom into the chosen topic. 

They are often used to address complex or controversial issues- those that politicians may struggle to tackle alone, such as climate change, or electoral reform. The random selection process, known as sortition, ensures that everyone has an equal chance to participate. 

Learning Stage:

This is where citizens’ step into the role of policymakers- they learn from expert testimony on the chosen subject matter, are presented with opinions and evidence from affected communities, consult the public, and hear from stakeholders. Evidence may be a mix of empirical data, moral arguments and lived experience. These individuals are provided with the tools to be able to make educated decisions, bringing in their own experiences to further foster discussion. This phase not only educates participants but also builds empathy and understanding across diverse viewpoints. 

Deliberation phase:

Members are tasked with reflecting on everything they heard. This stage is the heart of the citizens’s assembly, as participants weigh evidence, exchange perspectives and challenge their assumptions. In order for a successful citizens’ assembly, there must be a combination of learning styles that are incorporated to ensure an equitable space, including, 1-1 check ins, small group discussions, larger group conversations, written information, visual and tactile aids among others. 

Furthermore, various circumstances must be taken into account such as providing transportation, additional technology devices, and meeting accessibility standards. This attention to inclusion ensures that barriers -whether physical, social or digital- do not silence anyone’s voice. The deliberation phase provides all members with an equal opportunity to share their perspectives and attempts to facilitate the inclusion of all voices in the discussion.

Decision-making phase: 

Participants move from learning and discussing an issue to actually forming recommendations, working towards consensus and finding common ground among diverse perspectives. They come up with a consensus recommendation that can shape political decisions within society. This is not necessarily a unanimous proposal. 

It is about bringing together people from all walks of life to make a proposal that will (in theory) more positively impact everyone. This serves to enhance the legitimacy and inclusiveness of decision-making, ensuring that policies reflect the informed judgment of ordinary citizens rather than only elected officials or experts. In doing so, citizens’s assemblies bridge the gap between government and governed, restoring public trust in democratic institutions. 

My inspiration to write this article came from something Professor Rose once said in my POLS 111 class- he recalled witnessing a Bay Street lawyer and a fisherman from Belleville sitting side by side, talking as equals. That simple moment captured the true power of citizens' assemblies: creating spaces where people from completely different worlds can deliberate together with equal voice and mutual respect. 

What makes a successful citizens’ assembly according to Professor Rose: 

A successful citizens’ assembly depends on genuine government buy in. This means the commissioning body of government must not only promise to hold the assembly but must also truly believe in the process and be willing to implement its recommendations. Historically, assemblies have failed when governments treated them as symbolic gestures rather than sincerer attempts at reform. 

Two key factors are essential:

1. Government commitment- they must truly and fully support the process and take its outcome seriously. 

2. Trust in citizens- decision-makers must have faith in the capacity of ordinary people and commit to applying the assembly’s decisions, regardless of the outcome. This faith is what transforms deliberative democracy from a theory into a living, breathing practice. 

Benefits of citizens’ assemblies: 

According to Professor Rose, the citizen’s assemblies have several key advantages. Most importantly, they bring together people from all walks of life to make decisions that reflect the needs and experiences of the broader population. This is instead of relying on the top 1% and those wielding political power, who are often disconnected from everyday realities. 

Since participants come from diverse backgrounds, assemblies help avoid groupthink and confirmation bias; they serve to challenge existing beliefs and they remind citizens of the importance of meaningful participation in democracy. Furthermore, they reinvigorate public engagement by encouraging society to rethink political institutions so they actively demand and value citizen involvement, making democracy more inclusive, deliberative and responsive.  

In essence, citizens' assemblies reimagine democracy not as a spectator sport but as a shared civic duty, showing that ordinary people can exercise extraordinary political wisdom when given the chance.  

Citizens’ assemblies also serve to create a veil of political cover, allowing governments to advance on sensitive or divisive issues (such as what was done in Ireland regarding same-sex marriage or abortion), without facing direct electoral backlash. By framing the outcomes as the will of the people, governments can say, “the citizens made this decision; we simply implemented it,” thereby legitimizing controversial reforms while distancing themselves from potential political costs. 

Work Cited

Professor Jonathan Rose, Head of Department of Political Studies at Queen's University

“Citizens’ Assemblies - a Snapshot.” Fair Vote Canada, 23 Aug. 2024, www.fairvote.ca/citizensassemblies/.

“National Citizens’ Assembly on Electoral Reform.” National Citizens Assembly, 20 May 2025, nationalcitizensassembly.ca/.

potential political costs.