Democracy and Human Rights - Essay Example

? Topic 2 Introduction Democracy can be defined as a set of ideologies that govern a nation and are mandated to champion the interests and will of the authorities and the people to be governed. Apparently, this entails advocating for human rights which protect the people from oppression and at the same time serve the purpose to enlighten the people of their rights and responsibilities to the growth of the nation. On a similar theme, these objectives of democracy can be achieved if they are mutual participation of both the governing authorities and the people under the leadership. Apparently, one major way in which the people can participate in the democracy is by electing the individuals they feel are best suited for the various administrative duties. However, in this particular article, we are going to lay emphasis on the democratic organization and structure of Canada and at the same time compare it to the various democracies globally. First and foremost Canada is a country situated in the North American continent. It is a vast nation which stretches from the Atlantic Ocean to the pacific and further to the Arctic Ocean. 1Apparently, it is a federal parliamentary nation and at the same times a constitutional monarchy with the royal family as the head of the nation. On that note, the nation is founded on the following values: freedom, democracy, democratic leadership, human rights and finally the rule of law. 2However, the democracy in Canada has faced harsh criticism on the fact that it is termed as being less participatory on the part of representation following the politicians advocating for policies which serve their own interest as opposed the interest of the majority of the people. Despite all that, the government has tirelessly worked to restore the participation of the public through election. In addition to that, elections have provided a forum in which the people of a nation have control over the governing authorities and their policies.3 Apparently, elections have served as a vetting forum for the leaders. In addition to that, through elections people have been able to elect credible leaders for the various public administrative positions for instance the Member of Parliament in the case of Canada and therefore accountability in office has been boosted greatly since failure to deliver on office means one would not be reelected during the next election. 4Furthermore, elections give the people the authority to select the leader they feel will represent them fully in the government; address their grievance to the governing body. On the contrary, through referendum exercises the people have been able to approve the policies they regard in their best interest and at the same time disapprove some of the policies formulated by the government that they view are unsuitable for the nation’s growth. In other words, elections have given the people power to select which policies to approve to law. 5For instance, in case the government of a nation needs to amend the constitution; which is the law of the country, they may require a majority vote of the citizens in a bid to approve and ensure the participation of the people in democracy of the nation. On a similar theme, people are also given the power to control the policy through the fact that they get to elect new officials during every election. On that note, the newly elected individuals come in with new ideas and policies which are aimed at improving the living standards of people. Consequently, the people are able to keep in check the activities of the government. Apparently, in Canada elections are held on several fronts in the government. 6On that note, there are the national, provincial, municipal and finally the territorial elections. Notably, the parliament of Canada consists of two major divisions; the House of Commons which contain three hundred and eight members and the senate which has one hundred and five appointees of the governor general with the aid of the prime minister. During national elections, citizens of Canada vote in their members of parliament who are tasked with the duty of representing their constituency in the House of Commons. In addition to that, the prime minister is automatically the leader of the party with the majority of seats in the house. 7Therefore, it is evident that the members of the House of Commons in Canada are elected by the popular competitive election. Moreover, their tenure of office is a span of five years when another election will be conducted. Consequently, the participation of the people in the running of the country is ensured. On the contrary, the other fraction of the government of Canada; the senate consists of members appointed by the governor general in consultation with the prime minister. However, their tenure of office is limited to the age of seventy five and thus they are viewed as permanent members of the government. 8On the other hand, majority of members of parliament have political party affiliations, once they have been elected they are no longer bound to their political parties and thus are permitted to change or even join other political parties without the need to resign and seek reelection with the new party. In addition to that, some of the members of parliament may be dismissed by their political parties and forced to independent. Evidently, the aftermath of an election can cause the political party leadership and personnel since members of the parties are allowed shift to other parties once they are elected members of parliament in the House of Commons in Canada. In Canada the election are overseen by an electoral body which is in turn restricted by the Canada elections act which is mandated with the task of ensuring that a free and fair election is carried out. Apparently, it employs the plurality system of voting.9 However, in a bid to ensure that the contestants of the various public offices are suited for the candidacy ticket, the electoral body has stipulated some guideline on the exercise of registering candidates and political parties. First and foremost, according to elections act documented in the constitution, a candidate is required to be nominated following the right democratic channels advocated by the particular party they choose to contest with. In addition to that, a candidate is required to be a member of only one political party in order to receive the certificate to contest for a particular public administrative office. 10Furthermore, the candidate should adhere to the basic requirements of the election act, for instance, in the case of Canada; a candidate is required to be a born citizen of the country in order to contest for any public administrative office.11 Moreover, the candidate is also required to have attained the stipulated age requirement of the law in order to contest for that particular seat. Not only, is the age requirement, the candidate should have also attained the required academic benchmark, for instance possesses a degree in the respective public administrative office they are contesting. In spite of all the requirements, the candidate should also be knowledgeable on the various election offences and there consequences and affirm the adherence of the elections act to the letter in a bid to achieve a free and transparent election. 12In addition to that, the electoral body also checks to confirm that the party is registered in accordance to the political parties act. On the other hand, media coverage of the entire voting exercise is critical and hence the topmost priority. Apparently, the media is tasked with relaying information to the public and hence this essential to promote transparency of the democratic activity and at the same act as forum of scrutinizing any wrong doing and enlightening the people. 13In addition to that, the media has also been used to pass information regarding the rights of the people and also to create awareness. On the other hand, the electoral and political party system of Canada is very effective in the democracy of this sovereign nation. On that note, in a bid to achieve the universal goal of democracy which is to ensure equity in the participation of the people, political parties have incorporated a number of mechanisms that serve to address this purpose. 14Apparently, Canada consists of ten major provinces of which most use the plurality voting system employed by the federal government. However, each province has its own electoral body and the voting system of any particular province can be changed without any permission from the federal government. This is meant to incorporate the voice of the people in the selection of the electoral system they deem fit for the particular province they are in. On a similar theme, political parties are mandated with the primary goal of addressing and appropriately representing the people to the government. Apparently, this objective is achieved, for instance in Canada through, the establishment of political parties at the lowest level in administration; province. In addition to that, these political parties may have ties with some of the political parties in the national level. 15Consequently, these ties are meant to ensure that the people of a particular province are adequately represented in matters of administration in the national level. However, through political party elections, people have been able to voice in the appropriate political party representatives and thus, political party has also offered a forum in which democracy of the nation has been developed. On the contrary, the house of commons consists majorly of members of parliament elected by the people through the popular competitive elections. On that note, the voice of the people through voting has enabled the people of Canada to take part in the formation of a section of the government. Consequently, it is evident that the people participate indirectly in the formation of the senate which comprises majorly of appointed officials of the governor general. On a similar theme, most of these individuals are selected from the House of Commons where they were first elected to represent their individual constituencies. Therefore, it can be concluded that, majority of the executive in Canada are either directly or indirectly elected by the people. On the contrary, Canada is a federal based nation, each of its provinces are responsible on their own administrative duties but at the same time they are answerable to the federal government.16 On a similar theme, the different provinces have different forms of leadership structures which are determined by the social organization people in the particular province. However, as a result of the diversity of political and social organizations in Canada, the government which has tried to advocate for equity in the provision of resources and policies by creating a forum in which the policies of the individual province can participate in the running of the federal government. 17On that note, this has been made possible by enabling the provincial government governs the major ministries for instance healthcare and leaving the ministries of defense and finance to the federal government. However, representatives from the provinces in the federal government are essential to enable adequate and equal representation of the individual provinces. In a bid to facilitate the admission of a free and fair election, certain rule and regulations have to be adhered to comprehensively. 18However, in this section, we delve into establishing some of the mechanisms and policies adopted by the electoral body regarding the critical subject of finance with reference to the elections act of Canada. First and foremost, individual pursuing the various elective positions must not be bankrupt; that is declared by a court of law as this will cause them to lose their nomination ticket. In addition to that, the individual aspiring to for a particular elective office must be a compliant tax payer; as determined by the revenue collection agency. However, these regulations do not only affect the aspirants but also the political parties.19 Apparently, a political party is required to pay a substantial sum of money in accordance to the political parties act. Therefore, failure to adhere to this stipulated rule and guideline will be liable to punishment through the admission of fine or cancelation of candidature on the part of the individual and deregistration in the case of apolitical party. In conclusion, since incorporation of these laws, there has been a reduction in instances of election malpractices and as a result the universal goal of free and fair elections has been attained in this sovereign nation of Canada. Reference ? A history of the vote in Canada. Ottawa: Published by Minister of Public Works and Government Services Canada for the Chief Electoral Officer of Canada, 1997. Print. ?An Act to Enlarge the Representation of the People of This Province in Parliament 16 Vict. Cap. 152.. Quebec: S. Derbishire & G. Desbarats, 1854. Print. ? An Act to repeal certain acts therein mentioned, and to amend, consolidate, and reduce into one act, the several statutory provisions now in force for the regulation of elections of members to represent the people of this province in the Legislative Assem. Quebec: S. Derbishire & G. Desbarats, 1855. Print. ? "Canada: The General Election." The Round Table 20.80 (1930): 837-856. Print. ? Fletcher, Frederick J.. Election broadcasting in Canada. Toronto: Dundurn Press, 1991. Print. ? Indexed copy of the Canada elections act = Exemplaire indexe? de la Loi e?lectorale du Canada.. Ottawa: Chief Electoral Officer, 1974. Print. ? Qualter, Terence H... The election process in Canada. Toronto: McGraw-Hill Co. of Canada, 1970. Print. Read More