Defining Democracy

Two of the key principles of Canadian democracy that will be explored here are the ideas of open government and individual rights.

“democracy” broadly defined, rule by the people, or self-rule Canadian Democracy means… “democracy” broadly defined, rule by the people, or self-rule Open Government • People know about government’s activities; • People can question the government’s actions; • People can influence the government to change (e.g. protests, petitions, lobbying, letters to the editor, create a Facebook page, etc). Individual Rights • Privilege which is granted or a legal entitlement given to individuals by their government; E.g. UN – Universal Declaration of Human Rights; Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms • Freedom of information, protection of privacy. Freedom of Information Citizens have the right to ask government for information it holds. • To show its commitment to openness, the federal government passed the Access to Information Act on July 1, 1983. Protection of Privacy • an individual’s right to have certain information about him/herself protected. • To show its commitment to this value, the federal government passed the Privacy Act on July 1, 1983 to replace some limited personal information rights set out in Part IV of the Canadian Human Rights Act