HOW TO BUILD MORE DEMOCRACY IN CANADA

More democracy just means that people have more of a voice in our governance, and the politicians and political parties and big business have less of a voice.

I really think that any steps we can take towards more democracy will rapidly give us better lives, better communities, less stress, better health, and etc.

For example:

Did we ever vote for the housing disaster that has been done to us Canadians over the past 25 years or so? No we didn’t — but it was done to us anyway and fortunes have been made from the housing crisis, all paid for by average Canadians just looking for a place to live.

Same with GMO foods — those were placed in our food supply by the corporations, with the full support of our governments and media. They didn’t even tell us they had done it until four or five years later when rumors began to go around about some “new stuff” in our food. They did it and didn’t even tell us. How’s that for democracy?

What Can We Do?

Step 1: Realize there is a democracy problem in Canada

We are told from birth that Canada is a great democracy, and we tend to believe that. I also believed it for most of my life. But I can now tell you that it’s not true.
We are more of a corporate dictatorship than we are a democracy.
Understanding the problem is a big first step.

Step 2: We need a Free Press

What we have in Canada now is corporate-owned media, and that is not good for the vast majority of us.

Virtually all the big media in Canada — TV, radio, newspapers, online — is corporate-controlled, and I sadly include the CBC in this.

We need a media that is independent of corporate control, a media that can tell us the honest truth, and not just the corporate truth.
And that can be done fairly easily — but it’s a story for another day.

Step 3: We need Electoral Reform

Our current voting system, both federally and provincially, is less democratic than a Proportional Voting system, which is used in much of the rest of the world.

Voting systems are also a complex issue, of which most of us know little because it's so seldom discussed — and (in my opinion) that’s because the people who run Canada don’t want us knowing about more democratic voting systems.

Step 4: We need Parliamentary Reform

This means reforming our Provincial and Federal Parliaments so that the people we elect begin to work for us.

Right now, party leaders, especially the Premiers and the Prime Minister, have virtually total control over our governments. The people we elect have to do what they are told, or their careers end.

That is the complete opposite of democracy.

Why More Democracy Matters

If we had more democracy in Canada, even a little bit, we would immediately start to see:

• A better housing system

• Safer food

• Less wealth inequality

• An end to dangerous catch-and-release policies

• More rational environmental choices

• A government that works for people, not corporations

Democracy is a very important issue.
And again, that’s why it is NEVER talked about in Canada, except for our rulers to always tell us what a great democracy we are...
Which we aren’t.

So Let’s Start:

• Learning about democracy

• Learning how to get it

• Pushing for it

But only if we want it.

Do we??