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Home , Arms of Canada, A mari usque ad mare, The Right Honourable

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Canada: e Road 6 7 SEC TION > to Democracy 1 3 2 IS A DEMOCRACY. WHAT IS A DEMOCRACY? Democracy Defined 6 e word democracy describes a political CANADIAN — A coat of arms is a symbol used to identify someone something. system. Sometimes a coat of arms appears on an important In a democratic country, all eligible building, or at the top of an o5cial letter. This is the coa t of . It contains many symbols that give citizens have the right to participate, either 4 us clues about Canada’s history and what directly or indirectly, in making the deci - feel is important. See if you can spot: 3 3 4 sions that affect them. Canadian citizens 1 the flag of the normally elect someone to represent them 2 the royal flag of France (fleur-de-lis) in making decisions at the different levels 3 symbols of England (golden lions, roses) of government . is is called a representative 4 symbols of (red , , ) 5 2 democracy . Countries like Canada, the 5 symbols of Ireland (harp, ) United States of America and the 6 Canadian symbols ( leaves) United Kingdom all have representative 7 symbols of monarchy (crowns, royal ) 6 8 the words (in Latin) desiderantes meliorem patriam , 8 democracies. which means they desire a better country 9 Before European people came to Canada, 9 the words (in Latin) , which many different Aboriginal people governed means from sea to sea 5 their regions using many different political 4 systems, including a democratic one . 3 TALK ABOUT IT WORD BUILDER R e word democracy Students in your class may come from comes from the Greek word demos (mean - TALK ABOUT IT many different countries. Are these coun - ing the people ) and kratos (meaning rule ). What symbols identify you? Your family? tries democracies? How many of your Early forms of democracy began around Your community? Look around your classmates have experience with other 2,500 years ago, in Athens and other Greek neighbourhood. Can you see symbols that political systems? How are they similar to cities. identify other people or things? Make a democracies? How are they different? Using a dictionary, look up some other list of these symbols. List the other symbols

DID YOU KNOW? R Creating o5cial designs for words that start with demo . List them with your classmates collected. Do you all coats of arms is the responsibility of the Canadian your class. ink about what they mean. agree on what the symbols mean? Heraldic Authority. The Governor General is in of this organization. 8 ESL Resource Book-EN fonts 3/13/09 1:47 PM Page 9

WORD BUILDER R Aboriginal peoples Confederation and Canada (which became Canada became a nation, the Dominion of the provinces of and ). e People have lived in Canada for at least Canada, in 1867. Before that, British North BNA Act described the structure and main 12,000 years. In Canada, we usually describe America was made up of a few provinces , laws of the new country, as well as the the ancestors of these first peoples as the vast area of Rupert’s Land (privately division of powers between the new Aboriginals . ere are three main groups owned by the Hudson’s Bay Company), provinces and the federal government . of Aboriginal people in Canada. and the North-Western Territory. By 1864, • people live all across the many leaders felt that it would be good to country in cities, on traditional lands and join into one country. Known as the Fathers on reservations (land reserved for them). of Confederation , these leaders met and wrote a constitution for the new country, • people live in the Far North, and which had to be passed by the they share ancestors with the Aboriginal of the United Kingdom. Once passed, it peoples of Siberia, Alaska and Greenland. became known as the • Métis people have a combination of an - Act , or the BNA Act . is Act brought cestors of First Nations and European together the three provinces of , origin.

THINK ABOUT IT CANADA IN >ECD — Canada was much smaller in 1867. Does your school have a student council? It included only four provinces: Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. Where do you live? Was How do you decide which students will Photo reproduced with the permission it part of Canada in 1867? of Natural Resources Canada 2008, courtesy of the Atlas of Canada represent you? What decisions does a

student council have to make? Why is it DID YOU KNOW? R The rest of Canada’s provinces 1867 Ontario, Quebec, 1873 important that you have a representative? and territories joined Confederation (became a part of New Brunswick, 1898 Territory the country) at later dates: Nova Scotia 1905 , We have had a type of democracy in Canada since the 1870 , 1949 Newfoundland and mid-1300s! Did you know that the Iroquois Confederacy Labrador in Canada was the first democracy in North America? 1999 1871

1860 1870 1880 1890 1900 1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000

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1 the Right Honourable THIS PAINTING, CALLED “FATHERS OF CONFEDERATION” is based Sir John A. Macdonald, Canada’s on the original, “Meeting of the Delegates of British North America.” first Prime Minister The men shown here helped make the final agreement that created House of Commons Collection, Canada. After years of political debate , there were three historic 2 meet ings in Quebec City , Charlottetown and London, England to Sir George-Étienne Cartier decide the future creation of Canada. 3 Thomas D’Arcy McGee The artist, Robert Harris, worked mostly from photographs of the men.

THINK ABOUT IT DID YOU KNOW? R The original painting by Robert Harris burned Why are there no women during the fire that destroyed most of the of the in this painting? Parliament Buildings in 1916. Today, the tribute copy of it, by Rex Woods, hangs in a committee room at Parliament. The major di6erences between the two are: a portrait of Robert Harris on the right and three more delegates to the London Conference of 1866 (who were o5cially recognized in 1927) were added.

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THE QUEEN IS SIGNING THE CONSTITUTION ACT, >FE?. 1 the Honourable (Minister of Labour) 2 the Right Honourable 1 3 (Prime Minister ) 3 the Honourable Michael Pitfield (Clerk of the Privy Council) 4 the Honourable Michael Kirby The Constitution 4 (Secretary to the Cabinet for Federal-Provincial Relations and The Constitution is the highest law in 2 5 Deputy Clerk of the Privy Council) Canada. It includes several different laws, 5 Queen Elizabeth II decisions by judges, agreements between Based on Robert Cooper, Canada. Office of the Prime Minister Collection, Library and Archives Canada, e02282980 the federal and provincial governments , and traditions. e main written parts of th e Constitution o f Canada are the Consti tu - WORD BUILDER R Many words can be tion Act, 1867 (this used to be called changed from a verb to a noun by adding the British North America Act ) and the WORD BUILDER -ment : Constitution Act, 1982 . NOUN VERB ADJECTIVE • amend © amendment colony colonize colonial Constitution Act, 1982 • govern © government govern governable In 1982 , the Queen and the Right Honourable symbol symbolize symbolic • argue (careful of the e!) © Pierre Trudeau, Prime Minister, signed the Constitution Act, 1982 , which includes the • Try using some of these words in sen - • assess © British North America Act and the Canadian tences. Notice the endings on the adjec - • assign © Charter of Rights and Freedoms . tives: -ial , -able , -ic . • See if you can fill in the table with some Brainstorm with your class. What other WHAT ABOUT ME? of these other nouns: contact, collection, words follow this pattern? Try using both List some of the rules o r laws that affect identity, democracy. the verbs and the new nouns in sentences. you. Does your family or your school have rules? Are these rules written down? Who is responsible for enforcing the rules? Are these rules easy to change? What would The Constitution Act is di5cult to change. For some parts of the Act , happen if the rules were easy to change? the Senate , the House of Commons and all provinces must agree to any amendments (changes). Other parts can be changed with the agreement of the Senate , the House of Commons and at least seven provinces with more than 50% of the total population of all the provinces.

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2 CANADIAN CHARTER OF RIGHTS AND FREEDOMS 1 the Canadian coat of arms 2 the flag of Canada 3 the Parliament Buildings (Centre Block) 4 signature of the Right Honourable Pierre Trudeau (Prime Minister in 1982)

Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms TALK ABOUT IT What rights are most important to you e Canadian Charter of Rights and and to your family and friends? Although Freedoms forms the first part of the most human rights are protected in Constitution Act, 1982 . Here are some pro- Canada, sometimes citizens challenge the 3 tections that the Charter guarantees: Charter’s interpretation of these rights. • freedom of religion, of thought, Look in the newspaper. Can you find stories of expression, of the press and about these challenges? of peaceful assembly

• the right to participate in political WORD BUILDER : Look closely at this word: activities and the right to a democratic government FREEDOM e word divides into two – free and dom. 4 • the freedom to move around and live e word free comes from the old German within Canada, and to leave Canada frei (meaning beloved) and the Sanskrit • legal rights such as the right to life, priyah (beloved); -dom is sometimes added liberty and security to the end of a word to make it a noun (wisdom, kingdom). What other words • equality rights contain the word free? • language rights

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SECTION 1 Canada: The Road to Democracy 13