As fall elections loom, are fears for the state of democracy in Canada justified?

Is Canada's democracy truly under threat? Political scientists say while Canadian politics and institutions are facing a myriad of concerns, the situation isn't dire overall.

At ceremonies marking the 80th anniversary of D-Day in France a month ago, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau delivered a warning about the state of democracy.

It was, he said on Juno Beach, "still under threat today, … threatened by aggressors who want to redraw borders. It is threatened by demagogy, misinformation, disinformation, foreign interference.”

With Canadians poised to go to the polls in at least three provincial elections this fall, and a federal vote due next year, concerns about the strength of democracy are being raised on multiple fronts. 

But is Canada's democracy truly under threat? Political scientists say while Canadian politics and institutions are facing a myriad of concerns, the situation isn't dire overall.

"From a comparative standpoint, Canada's democracy is quite robust, and it's quite strong from an institutional standpoint, in the sense that our elections are overall perceived as being fair," said Daniel Béland, director of McGill University's Institute for the Study of Canada.

"But again, it depends on what you're looking at."

Some of the most prominent concerns have emerged from allegations of foreign interference.