For most of its existence Canada has been viewed as a democratic government that is well suited for its people, but like any other political regime it has its weaknesses. Canada’s history, appreciation for human, legal and civil rights shows that this country has the possibility to uphold a legitimate democracy. However, the recent events are raising concern within the population, and the question begins to form is our political system slipping? While Canada has been ranked consistently in the top 10 democracies in the world, we as Canadian citizens still have many unresolved issues that have not been addressed. Throughout this paper the strengths and weakness of Canadian democracy will be discussed. The first issue of discussion will be the
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The power and civil responsibilities are executed by all adult citizens that freely elected the representatives. Democracy rests upon the principles of majority rule and individual rights. Democracies protect its citizens against all-powerful government.
Democracies understand that one of their prime functions is to protect such basic human rights as freedom of speech and religion; the right to equal protection under law; and the opportunity to organize and participate fully in the political, economic, and cultural life of society.
Democracies conduct regular free and fair elections open to citizens of voting age.
Citizens in a democracy have not only rights, but also the responsibility to participate in the political system that, in turn, protects their rights and freedoms.
Democratic societies are committed to the values of tolerance, cooperation, and compromise. In the words of Mahatma Gandhi, Intolerance is itself a form of violence and an obstacle to the growth of a true democratic …show more content…
While democracy’s biggest strength is having the majority rule it is also it’s biggest weakness. The way the Canadian elections are currently operating for the winning candidate to truly have the majority of the votes there can only be two running parties. And as the number of candidates grows the percentage of votes that a candidate needs to win goes down. That makes for a very strong case of many people doubting wether the current government has as much support as many of us think. At the same time, however, Canada being a very diverse and multicultural country with many different views and beliefs would not be fully represented with such limited options of the running candidates. As well as that the statistics show in the recent years the number of Canadians voting has decreased tremendously. In october 2008 only 58% of Canadians voted, that being recorded as one of the lowest voting percentages. When nearly half of the citizens do not show up to vote, the obvious flaw seems to appear, that the current government does not have the support of the majority of the population even though it is in
The power and civil responsibilities are executed by all adult citizens that freely elected the representatives. Democracy rests upon the principles of majority rule and individual rights. Democracies protect its citizens against all-powerful government.
Democracies understand that one of their prime functions is to protect such basic human rights as freedom of speech and religion; the right to equal protection under law; and the opportunity to organize and participate fully in the political, economic, and cultural life of society.
Democracies conduct regular free and fair elections open to citizens of voting age.
Citizens in a democracy have not only rights, but also the responsibility to participate in the political system that, in turn, protects their rights and freedoms.
Democratic societies are committed to the values of tolerance, cooperation, and compromise. In the words of Mahatma Gandhi, Intolerance is itself a form of violence and an obstacle to the growth of a true democratic …show more content…
While democracy’s biggest strength is having the majority rule it is also it’s biggest weakness. The way the Canadian elections are currently operating for the winning candidate to truly have the majority of the votes there can only be two running parties. And as the number of candidates grows the percentage of votes that a candidate needs to win goes down. That makes for a very strong case of many people doubting wether the current government has as much support as many of us think. At the same time, however, Canada being a very diverse and multicultural country with many different views and beliefs would not be fully represented with such limited options of the running candidates. As well as that the statistics show in the recent years the number of Canadians voting has decreased tremendously. In october 2008 only 58% of Canadians voted, that being recorded as one of the lowest voting percentages. When nearly half of the citizens do not show up to vote, the obvious flaw seems to appear, that the current government does not have the support of the majority of the population even though it is in