Democratic Principles -
Finn Coleman
Accountability and Transparency
The representatives that get elected are always accountable for their actions, they must perform their duties according to the wishes of the people who they represent, not their own. Plus since this is a democracy, the representatives must respond to questions from other parties, engage in meetings in public, and be accounted for by the government.
Article: Current Event Mining Executives Charged
Two Canadian mining executives were convicted of involuntary manslaughter, this illustrates accountability because they were held responsible for their actions (not making the mines safe enough) by Canadian law. This also illustrates transparency because the news media (CBC new) made it so citizens can see what happened.
Crtl F to find the facts
Media Literacy is at the moment the prime way of learning about news and events, a way of keeping citizens informed in a democracy. This falls under accountability and transparency because some people are transparent and can be trusted to share information, so if you get the information you can become informed and being informed is being accountable, this is why this falls under Accountability and Transparency.
Question period-opposition parties
This falls under accountability and transparency because that's what people make sure the government falls under/follows because, during the question period, the opposition keeps the government accountable by asking questions.
Opposition and Government debate
This falls under accountability and transparency because they are being extremely clear and transparent about their ideals, plans and how they would like to run this country. They make sure to speak what they truly think and have no filter, plus they stay respectful and follow the court rules.
Political Tolerance
The society we live in is multicultural and therefore, people come to Canada with different religions, racial and ethnic backgrounds, gender identities, and finally, sexual orientations, all of which are valued and democracy strives to keep all of these rights protected and valued. Plus those who are not in power must share their opinions.
UN International Day for Tolerance
The day of remembering the Sharpeville massacre and the international day for tolerance always happens on the day that the massacre took place to commemorate that event and to make sure it never happens again. The reason we even have tolerance is it's much more passive and accepting than other types of dealing with tragedies, tolerance brings an obligation to act and it must be taught, defended and nurtured.
aSong response
"Tolerance or violence and the whole world goes to war" is the one that stands out to me, as people are so quick to start violence against a certain group for just being who they are and that line shows it fully, look at history and all the wars that occurred, most of them start over some sort of discrimination.
Xenophobia
The fear of other cultures, a fancy way of saying racism.
Citizen Participation
Citizen participation is not only a right, it's a responsibility, meaning you have to vote in elections, be informed, debate issues, attend community meetings, pay taxes, and protest, all of which build a stronger democracy.
Terry Fox
Mahatma Gandhi
Gandhi falls under citizen participation in my eyes because he led the Indian people to freedom by not killing anyone and not fighting back, forever changing revolutions into demonstrations. He also sent a message by doing hunger strikes, the salt march and his true weapon was peace, that weapon was used to great effect when he brought the world's attention to what was happening to the Indian people and the amount of injustice being committed at the time.
Truth and Reconciliation
The truth part of this means facing and understanding the rocky history between indigenous and non-indigenous people, the reconciliation part means restoring the relationship between indigenous and non-indigenous people to try to make a more accepting environment. Over 6000 stories were heard from residential school survivors or families of children that went to residential schools.
Murray Sinclair
Chief commissioner of the TRCAppointed to the Senate of Canada
Jodi Wilson Raybould
Canada's first Indigenous and female Attorney General and Cabinet MiniterWhistleblower
Songs
Spirit of the West Homelands
My favourite line of the song is"The difference between being on the bottom or on the topIs you fight for what you have"because it shows both resistance and endurance to show that their culture won't be snuffed out by a different group of people and I truly have respect for that.
1967 Macleans Article - Wenjack
This article brought awareness to more and more of the public about what was going on in the Residential schools- marking the beginning of the end for residential schools.
2008 Apology from Stephen Harper
Nelson Mandela and Apartheid
South Africa had a policy of Apartheid, their law back then was racial segregation with their parallels segregation in the US with separate entrances, water founts, washrooms, beaches, etc. Black South Africans were oppressed by the dutch, the white minority, they didn't have the same rights. One of the laws back then was that black people weren't allowed to be leaders or to organize protests, black people wanted the right to vote, and freedom of movement in their own country. Then Nelson Mandela was sent to jail for 27 years because he was a brave leader and his fellow leader Steve Biko was also sent to jail and then beaten to death in 1977 and the murder was covered up.
Songs
AUAA
Artists United Against ApartheidThe Musicians boycotted performing at Sun City (a posh resort where rich people go in South Africa) because of the oppression going on in SA (1985). They made a song about it- Ain't gonna play Sun City.
Biko
Boycotts
A boycott is when you refuse to buy from a company that is doing something bad.Examples include Britain during 1764-1766, The Montgomery Bus Boycott, Delano Grape Strike and The Sudanese Civil War Sex Boycott.
WWF Living Planet Report
The Living Planet Report is informing us about wildlife with such things as their population plummeting by 69%, climate change, biodiversity loss, declining freshwater and our broken relationship with nature.(WWF: World Wildlife Federation)
Environmental Defense
Banks Financing billions in fossil fuel industry
This falls under citizen participation due to the fact that banks like TD, RBC, Scotiabank, BMO, CIBC, National Bank, Desjardins and Laurentian Bank are funding millions, hell even billions to tonnes of Carbon dioxide and they're even trying to reach zero financed emissions by 2050.
Clayoquot Sound
Clayoquot Sound: Canada's most significant act of civil disobedienceOn Vancouver Island in 1993, almost 1000 people were arrested as they protested the logging of old rainforest by blocking the logging road and refusing to move.They did this to protect the giant trees that had been there for hundreds of years, people had seen the destruction of trees and knew where to go to stop it.Over 12,000 people took part in the blockade of logging trucks with 932 people getting arrested.
Fairy Creek : The Last Stand
People have been standing against the government to make sure they don't commit clear cutting again and these people will go teeth & nail to defend their trees.Since clear-cutting massive amounts of tree areas make millions of dollars, it gives motivation the government to continue clear-cutting the creek, causing their trees to be non-existent but people won't let the government do that, so they protest inside the creek to stand up to a massive industry. They built walls to keep large machines out and still continue to protest in front of the police.
Julia Butterfly Hill
She spent 2 years living in a tree in order to keep it from being cut down. Luna is the tree, it was over 1000 years old.
Human Rights and Equality
All people that live in a democracy do have guaranteed rights such as freedom in both speech and opinion, as well as freedom of race, religion, ethnicity, language, gender, and sexual orientation, all of what has just been said to have fundamental rights and equality.
Article: Three Kill in protests over Iranian woman Mahsa Amini's death in custody
I personally think this falls under human rights and equality because the fact that Iran police beat Amini for "unsuitable attire" for just wearing a hijab improperly is a complete violation of human rights and equality. The strict dress code in Iran is not giving any freedom to women and the fact they turn to violence for even showing a bit too much hair is just ridiculous, this is why I believe this falls under a violation of human rights, freedom and equality.
March To End Gender Based Violence
This falls under human rights and equality because the government gives people the right to protest to speak out against gender-based violence so that it can stop and prevent people from killing women for just being women.
The Defiant Russians speaking out against war
This falls under human rights and equality because the Russian citizens who disagree with what their military is doing are allowed to have a voice to speak up against it and protest for it to stop, they shouldn't feel unsafe or threatened for just speaking their mind and thoughts on the matter.
Documents
UN Universal Declaration
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDgIVseTkuE
UN Declaration on the Rights of the Child
https://www.un.org/en/global-issues/childrenhttps://www.unicef.ca/sites/default/files/2021-09/CRC_POSTER_FINAL_EN.pdf1959: Declaration on the Rights of the Child1989: Convention on the Rights of the ChildDefinition of a child: under 18
aUN Declaration on the rights Rights of Indigenous Peoples
https://www.un.org/development/desa/indigenouspeoples/wp-content/uploads/sites/19/2018/11/UNDRIP_E_web.pdfAdopted in 2007
aCanadian Charter Rights and Freedoms
https://www.canada.ca/content/dam/pch/documents/services/download-order-charter-bill/canadian-charter-rights-freedoms-eng.pdf
The Right to Vote
Workers Rights and Unions
Non-Union members make up 82% of Union members, 69% of non-union members have health care and 64% of non-union members having of retirement. People at mills, mines and railways began to work together in order to change the dangerous low-pay jobs into safe high-pay jobs. Knights of Labour included all unions, no matter race, sex, gender, etc, and people with various professions with the level going from lawyers to gamblers.
Free and Fair Elections
Adults have the freedom to choose who they want in office as a political representative without being threatened and voting, at least in Canada happens every 5 years.
How to vote in municipal election
In my opinion, this is how it should be done when it comes to free elections, it gives the people a voice to say what they want and who they want in office.
Ontarians celebrating Diwali raise concerns over election date
This falls under Free and Fair Elections because people are allowed to express concern for when elections happen, such as during a holiday and during the times it's celebrated.So the government can hear people's concerns about the times and so they can either postpone the time or change the date to a different time.
Whole council in this town is acclaimed
This falls under free and fair elections because, in order to have a whole election, it's necessary for residents to pick county councillors and school board trustees.
Student Vote
Student vote helps us with free and fair elections because it informs kids at a young age what they will be doing in the future and how they should take part in it.
aOntario NDP leadership race
This fall under Free and Fair Elections because she managed to get into the Ontario NDP leadership race and she was a former school trustee.
Ottawa's most exciting mayoral race in more than a decade
There were 15 candidates running for mayor, showing that there was going to be a new mayor no matter what and it showed that Ottawa is in a healthy democracy.
How First past the post creates a two party system
A two-party system in a "democracy" isn't a good sign that it's a healthy democracy, as a healthy democracy needs many choices, voices and people's participation. An example of this is the first election in Britain, someone got 5% of the votes but still got into office, then two candidate parties become the top dogs and are fighting for office then the only parties slowly disappear because they're not getting any votes because they don't want a certain party in office.
Rules of Law
All Canadians must obey the law, which said law is enforced fairly, consistently, and equally, meaning governments, police forces, and the military must obey the law. This also means the government cannot punish Canadians unless they broke the law.
Major Watson testifies in emergencies act
Jim Watson testifles in emergencies act inquiry
This follows under the Rule of Law as it shows Jim Watson expresses concern by saying the police did not have the recourses needed to handle last winter's anti-COVID-19 restriction process and seeing whether or not the federal government used the power of emergency powers to end the protests fairly.
Conservations use Notwithstanding clause
With the unfortunate help of the Notwithstanding Clause, the government is free to enforce the legislation and disregard the constitution. For instance, they could forbid employees from striking even if they are in a legitimate strike position (as the education support workers are now)