Devon Hartlen
"Civilization is the process in which one gradually increases the number of people included in the term "we" or "us" and at the same time decreases those labeled "you" or "them" until that category has no one left in it." Howard Winters

Democracy is the only type of government in which the people have the free will to choose who ever they want to govern them. It also gives them the right to have their say in how government is run.
It is widely believed that democracy was originally developed in ancient Greece, more specifically Athens. However, this system was not perfect as only white males who had finished their military training could vote. This excluded women, slaves, resident foreigners and criminals. A good thing that came from this government though was that everyone was allowed and required to serve on the council. The only problem with this, some historians say, was that nobody was in government long enough to learn the "proper" way to run government. The Athenian democracy lasted for more than two hundred years until Alexander the Great conquered Greece.
Aside from a number of small democracies, the next big example of democracy was the "Iroquois Confederation"k also known as the "Six Nations Confederacy". It was comprised of six First Nations groups who would meet on the basis of equality and decided on matters of nation importance. The main feature of this confederacy was each individual nation was self-governed; meaning that each nation controlled matters that only pertained to their nation. This confederacy lasted for several hundred years.
In 1758, the British government enacted a bill to establish a democratic system in the colony of Nova Scotia. While many might see this as a large step forward in human rights in the British colonies, Britain's reason was more selfish than that. Since the expulsion of the Acadians in 1755, the government needed more people to farm the land they had left behind. The British needed the farmers from the New England States because they were the only ones with experience farming in a cold climate. But the farmers would only come if they would have the same rights they had in the United States.
However, this democratic government was anything but. Anyone in an important government position was appointed by the Crown, meaning that the British would have control over all matters in the colonies. People were allowed to vote, but only if they were white, male, Protestant landowners. This excluded women, African Canadians, Catholics and Native Americans.
This style of government would last for almost a hundred years. It wasn't until the aftermath of the American Revolution that the British government became more attentive to the feelings of unrest in its colonies. They began to crack down on these feelings in the Canada's, leading to the failed rebellions in Upper and Lower Canada. It also lead to the establishment of reasonable government in Nova Scotia.
Nova Scotia was the only one of the original colonies to establish responsible government peacefully. It was established with the help of Joseph Howe, who spent six hours fighting for responsible government in the courts. In the end, responsible government was finally established and all the other colonies eventually followed suit. Several years after that, the Dominion of Canada was created.
The Canadian parliamentary system is called a "representative democracy", meaning that one person from a constituency is elected to represent the feelings and concerns of the people in that riding. The elected people meet in a central location. Also, many of the Members of Parliament form groups called parties. Parties are groups of people who have similar ideas of how the country should be run. The parties dominate the House of Commons.
The right to vote is a right that many Canadians did not have until very recently. Even after the confederacy, women, African Canadians and First Nations could not vote. In fact, it was not until four years ago that the right to vote, no matter the ethnic background or gender, was permitted. Voting is very important in Canada. It allows everyone to have a say in government and gives anyone who votes the right to complain.
Democracy in Canada has survived rebellions and invasions, World Wars and insurgency. However, in Canada's relatively short existence, it has become a leader in human rights, peacekeeping and diplomacy. It is my hope that this essay will explain how much history and pride is behind the phrase "I am Canadian".