The Canadian System of Goverment

Canada’s system of government originated largely from the British model, with varied franchise, political parties, and responsible government as a constitutional monarchy. Early on there was a conservative approach to government and politics, although democracy was clearly lacking. Fast forward to modern Canada, where franchise has been opened to all citizens regardless of race, gender and sex and yet a true picture of democracy is often lacking amongst society. This paper will argue that Canada is a democracy, though it is often compromised in practice by exploring its parameters and problematic elements.

Democracy in practice is a hybridized system that combines elements of democratizing reform with anti-democratic ideals (Nurse 02/17/2014) by our standards today, as it was not operative at the time of confederation (Nurse 03/03/2014). It is a franchise of limited expansion, since the political power is vested in parties. These parties, if in power and good faith, can make decisions based on the opinion of the people they represent or they can take things into their own hands and make decisions based on over arching party politics. Political leaders can then engage in a patron-clientele system where people are appointed to do favors for those appointing them. If done correctly, it is a means to funnel local and regional views into central government (Nurse 01/13/2014). Some scholars pinpoint democracy as the highest socially accountable form of government, where “citizens participate in the process of creating legislation and policy, and freely agree to conform to them and share moral consequences” (Shoughi 3), and yet it can be argued that a wide percentage of citizens are unengaged and consequently negatively impact this “pe...

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...Canadians should have, as outlined in the charter of rights, these principles are still often challenged in practice. While a sense of public dislike for democracy is common in the media, its goals through public policy do not often reflect personal or group desires outside of those who implemented them.

Canada is a democracy and yet, it can be argued that it is compromised in practice. This essay has illustrated a select number of parameters and problematic elements of democracy in an effort to address the reality that large portions of the country’s citizens frequently challenge their democracy. Even through the simple act of not voting, or maintaining a basic knowledge of political happenings it tests the long-term visibility of the nation. How can good democratic practice take place when the number of participants continues to dwindle with every passing year?