What Is True Democracy

If your idea of democracy stops at majority rule it is not true democracy. If your idea of democracy allows the majority to oppress minorities it is not true democracy. If your idea of democracy provides political power based on income and wealth it is not true democracy.

Yes true democracy includes free elections based on one person one vote but it is much more than that. The electoral system must not be unduly influenced by money and it must elect a legislature that represents all philosophical/political viewpoints of it’s citizens, preferably through some form of proportional representation.

True democracy must balance majority rule with minority rights and it must balance individual rights with collective rights.

True democracy must include some aspics of libertarianism as well as many aspects of socialism.

From libertarianism we discard the extreme individualism but keep individual freedom of thought, belief, conscience and freedom of expression, including freedom of the press/media. We also add, though not usually considered libertarian but certainly philosophically libertarian, the right to be ones self, particularly regarding sexual orientation and gender identity.

From socialism we include collective and economic rights including freedom of association and collective bargaining, freedom of peaceful assembly, the right to employment and access to affordable housing, publicly funded education and health care, as well as economic security provided via a guaranteed annual income or universal basic income, as well as a progressive tax system that reduces economic inequality.

You cannot have political equality and thus a true democracy in a country that has massive economic inequality.

True democracy also includes individual responsibilities, such as being politically aware and active and caring for and helping your fellow citizens.

Diversity also strengthens a true democracy.

True democracy is not electing a dictator every four to five years.

Canadian Diversity and Right Wing Hate of Justin Trudeau

Yes, Justin Trudeau is a mediocre Prime Minister, but that is not why the right hates him. Nor is it because of carbon taxes or provincial vaccine mandates or lockdowns. It is because of perhaps the one thing he has excelled at and that is promoting Canadian diversity.

There are those that claim that Canada has no culture and others that claim that Canadian culture is a white European culture and anyone who was here before or came after the colonizers needs to adapt to that culture. But the truth is Canadian culture is a culture of diversity starting before anyone lived on this land and enhanced by everyone who came after.

Canadian diversity starts with it’s geography. We are a geographically diverse country (from sea to sea to sea to American border) and that is reflected in the diversity of our first peoples, from the peoples of the north, to the coastal peoples, the peoples of the prairies and the boreal forest and so on. All of these peoples had their own social systems and systems of government, including legal systems based on healing and restorative justice that were, and still are, centuries ahead of the European colonizers.

Then came the colonizers and immigrants who added to the diversity of the country adding traditions, languages and religions from all over the world. But it is not only ethnic and religious diversity that make us the country we are. We also have a diversity of physical and mental abilities, including neurodivergent people, as well as peoples of different sexual orientations and gender identity, first recognized by Canada’s first people through the concept of two spirit people.

The Prime Minister has recognized that our diversity is our strength and that is one of the main reasons he has become the target of the hate of right wing extremists and white supremacists.

Postscript.

None of this is to deny Canada’s historical mistreatment of our indigenous peoples or it’s discriminatory treatment of newcomers or other vulnerable peoples. That is a whole treatise on it’s own. This is meant to be focused on Canadian ideals and how we move forward in the future.