Lesson 17: Democracy in Canada and Beyond

Introduction

What Will We Learn?

In this lesson, we will learn what democracy is and how it works, especially in Canada. We will also compare Canada’s democracy to how other countries, like the United States, Switzerland, and Norway, run their governments. By the end of this lesson, you will understand why democracy is important and how it affects your life as a Canadian citizen.

Why Is Democracy Important?

Democracy is a system of government that allows citizens to have a say in how the country is run. In a democracy, people can vote to choose their leaders and make decisions about laws and policies. This means that everyone has a chance to participate, no matter who they are. Democracy helps protect our freedoms, like freedom of speech and the right to vote.

Canada is one of many countries that use a democratic system. But not all democracies work the same way. Some countries let citizens vote directly on important issues, while others, like Canada, elect representatives to make decisions for them. By learning about democracy, we can understand how these systems work and how they shape the lives of people around the world.

Key Vocabulary

• Democracy: A system of government where people have the power to make decisions by voting. In a democracy, citizens choose their leaders and can help make laws.

• Direct Democracy: A type of democracy where people vote directly on important issues or laws. Instead of electing someone to make decisions, the people make the decisions themselves.

• Representative Democracy: In this system, people vote to elect representatives who make decisions for them. Canada has a representative democracy, which means we vote for Members of Parliament (MPs) to speak for us.

• Constitution: A set of rules or laws that explains how a country is run. Canada’s constitution helps protect our rights, like freedom of speech and the right to vote.

• Suffrage: The right to vote in elections. In Canada, citizens 18 years and older have the right to vote.

• Electoral System: The way a country organizes its voting and elections. In Canada, we use a system called first-past-the-post.

• First-Past-the-Post: A voting system where the candidate who gets the most votes in an area wins, even if they don't get more than half the votes. This is the system Canada uses.

• Proportional Representation: A voting system where the number of seats a party wins in parliament is based on how many votes the party gets. Countries like New Zealand and Norway use this system to make elections more fair for smaller parties.

Democracy in Canada

Canada is a representative democracy, which means that citizens vote to elect people to make decisions for them. The leaders that Canadians vote for help run the country, make laws, and make sure everyone’s voices are heard. Here’s how it works:

How Do Elections Work?

In Canada, citizens who are 18 years or older can vote in elections. These elections are held every four years, but sometimes they can happen sooner. In an election, Canadians vote for people called Members of Parliament (MPs) who represent different areas of the country, called ridings. The candidate with the most votes in each riding wins a seat in the House of Commons, which is where important decisions are made.

Canada uses a voting system called first-past-the-post. This means that the candidate with the most votes in a riding wins, even if they don’t have more than half of the votes. For example, if a candidate gets 40% of the votes and the other candidates each get less than that, the person with 40% wins, even though 60% of people voted for someone else.

The Role of the Prime Minister

The leader of the political party that wins the most seats in the House of Commons becomes the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister is the most important leader in Canada’s government. They help make laws, decide on policies, and lead the country.

Canada’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms

Canada’s democracy is based on the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, a part of the Constitution. The Charter makes sure that all Canadians have important rights, like:

• The right to vote in elections.

• Freedom of speech and expression.

• The right to equality, which means that everyone should be treated fairly, no matter who they are.

The Charter helps protect Canadians’ democratic rights and ensures that the government works in a fair and just way.

Levels of Government

Canada has three levels of government:

1. Federal Government: This is the national government that looks after things like immigration, defense, and foreign policy. It’s led by the Prime Minister and MPs elected to the House of Commons.

2. Provincial Governments: Each province (like Ontario or British Columbia) has its own government, which handles things like schools and healthcare.

3. Municipal Governments: Cities and towns have their own local governments to manage things like roads, parks, and public services.

All these levels of government have elected representatives, and each level makes decisions for different parts of your life.

Types of Democracy Around the World

While many countries around the world have democracies, they don’t all work the same way. Countries choose different systems of democracy based on their history, values, and what works best for their citizens. Let’s look at a few different types of democracy and compare them to Canada’s system.

Direct Democracy

In a direct democracy, citizens vote directly on important issues instead of electing representatives to make decisions for them. This type of democracy allows people to have a direct say in what happens in their country.

• Example: Switzerland
  Switzerland is known for having a direct democracy. In Switzerland, citizens can vote on important national issues several times a year. This is done through referendums, where people vote "yes" or "no" on a specific issue. For example, if the government wants to make a new law, the people can vote directly on whether they agree with it or not. This gives citizens a lot of power in making decisions.

• Comparison to Canada
  Canada doesn’t use direct democracy. Instead, we use representative democracy, where we elect leaders to make decisions for us. Canadians don’t vote on individual laws, but we do choose MPs who represent our opinions in government.

Representative Democracy

Most democracies in the world today, including Canada’s, are representative democracies. This means that citizens vote for representatives who make decisions and laws on their behalf.

• Example: The United States
  The United States is also a representative democracy, but it has some differences from Canada’s system. In the US, people vote for members of Congress (similar to our MPs) and for the President. The President is the head of the government and is elected directly by the people. This is different from Canada, where the Prime Minister is not elected directly by the people but is chosen by the political party with the most seats in Parliament.

• Comparison to Canada
  Both Canada and the US are representative democracies, but Canada’s system is based on the parliamentary system, while the US uses a presidential system. This means that in Canada, the Prime Minister is a member of Parliament, while in the US, the President is separate from Congress.

Proportional Representation

Some countries use a system called proportional representation, where the number of seats a political party wins in parliament is based on the percentage of votes they receive. This system is used to make elections more fair, especially for smaller political parties.

• Example: New Zealand
  New Zealand uses proportional representation to elect its parliament. This means that if a political party wins 30% of the votes, they will get about 30% of the seats in parliament. This system ensures that even smaller parties, which might not win the most votes, still get a voice in the government.

• Comparison to Canada
  Canada uses first-past-the-post, where the candidate with the most votes in a riding wins, even if they don’t get a majority of the votes. This system can sometimes leave smaller parties without much representation in parliament, while proportional representation tends to include more parties in decision-making.

Comparing Canada’s Democracy to Other Countries

Canada’s democratic system shares similarities with many other countries, but there are also key differences in how democracies are run around the world. Let’s compare Canada’s democracy with systems in other countries to better understand what makes each one unique.

Canada vs. The United States

Both Canada and the United States are representative democracies, but their systems work in different ways:

• Head of Government: In Canada, the Prime Minister is the head of the government, but they are not elected directly by the people. Instead, the Prime Minister is chosen from the political party that wins the most seats in Parliament. In the United States, the President is the head of the government and is elected directly by the people.

• Parliamentary vs. Presidential System: Canada uses a parliamentary system, meaning the Prime Minister is part of the elected Parliament, while the US uses a presidential system, where the President is separate from Congress. This difference affects how laws are made and how power is shared between branches of government.

Canada vs. Norway

Norway is another country with a parliamentary democracy and a constitutional monarchy similar to Canada. However, there are some differences:

• Proportional Representation: Norway uses proportional representation to elect its leaders. This system makes sure that the number of seats a political party wins in Parliament reflects the percentage of votes it received in the election. This gives smaller political parties more of a chance to be represented in the government.

• First-Past-the-Post: In contrast, Canada uses the first-past-the-post system, where the candidate with the most votes in a riding wins, even if they don’t get the majority. This means that smaller parties often don’t win as many seats in Canada’s Parliament as they would in Norway’s system.

Canada vs. Switzerland

Switzerland has a direct democracy, which is different from Canada’s representative democracy.

• Direct Democracy: In Switzerland, citizens can vote directly on laws and policies through referendums. This means that the people have more say in important decisions and can approve or reject specific laws. This system gives citizens more direct control over government actions.

• Representative Democracy: In Canada, citizens don’t vote directly on laws. Instead, we elect representatives (Members of Parliament) who make decisions for us. This system is faster and allows for more efficient decision-making but gives citizens less direct control over specific laws.

Key Differences in Voting Systems

The main difference between Canada and other democratic countries is how elections are held:

• Proportional Representation (like in Norway) gives more power to smaller political parties and ensures a fairer distribution of seats in parliament.

• Direct Democracy (like in Switzerland) allows citizens to vote on individual laws and decisions, giving people more direct control over what happens in their country.

• First-Past-the-Post (used in Canada) often leads to larger political parties winning more seats, even if smaller parties received a significant number of votes.

Democracy and Global Trends

Why Is Democracy Important?

Democracy is important because it gives citizens the power to shape their government and the laws that affect their lives. It ensures that leaders are chosen by the people and can be replaced through elections. Democracy helps protect freedoms like the right to vote, freedom of speech, and the right to a fair trial. When a country is democratic, it is more likely to be stable and peaceful, because the people have a voice in how they are governed.

Challenges to Democracy

Even though democracy is valued around the world, it faces challenges in many places. Some of the challenges include:

• Low Voter Turnout: In some countries, fewer people are voting in elections. This can weaken democracy because the government may not represent the views of all citizens. In Canada, voter turnout can be low, especially among young people.

• Misinformation: With the rise of social media, false information can spread quickly. This can confuse voters and make it harder for them to make informed choices.

• Authoritarianism: Some countries are moving away from democracy and becoming more authoritarian. In these systems, leaders have more control and citizens have fewer rights. Examples of countries where democracy is weakening include Russia and Venezuela, where elections may happen, but the government limits freedoms and controls much of the media.

Canada’s Role in Promoting Democracy

Canada plays an active role in promoting democracy around the world. Canada supports organizations like the United Nations and The Commonwealth that work to protect human rights and democratic values. Canada also sends election observers to other countries to help make sure elections are fair and free. These efforts show that Canada believes in the importance of democracy, not just at home, but globally.

Global Trends in Democracy

Around the world, democracy is facing both growth and decline:

• Growth of Democracy: In many countries, people are pushing for more democratic rights. For example, countries like Tunisia have moved toward democracy after years of authoritarian rule.

• Decline in Some Areas: In other places, democracy is under threat. Governments in countries like Hungary and Turkey have limited free speech and reduced the power of their citizens to choose their leaders.

These trends show that while democracy is strong in many parts of the world, it needs to be protected and strengthened to ensure that all people have a voice in their governments.

Conclusion

In this lesson, we explored how democracy works in Canada and compared it to other countries. We learned that Canada is a representative democracy, where citizens elect leaders to make decisions on their behalf. We also saw how other countries, like Switzerland with its direct democracy and Norway with its proportional representation system, have different ways of running their governments.

Why Democracy Matters

Democracy is important because it gives people the power to shape their government and protect their rights. It allows citizens to choose their leaders and influence the laws that affect their lives. In a democracy, every vote counts, and everyone’s voice matters.

Looking Forward

While democracy is strong in many countries, it faces challenges, such as low voter turnout and misinformation. Understanding how democracy works helps us see why it’s important to stay informed and participate in elections. In Canada, voting is one way to have a say in how our country is run. By voting and being active citizens, we help keep democracy strong.

Remember, democracy is not just about elections—it’s about ensuring that people have the freedom to speak, participate, and influence their society.