| While
democracy means "government by the people" , surprisingly
few people understand how politics works. Even fewer get
involved. One reason is that increasingly dictatorial actions
by legislators and judges have left many Canadians feeling
powerless. However, involvement is the only way to reverse
the trend. Democracy may not be perfect, but it can be effective
if everyone gets involved. As Billy Graham said, "no
democracy can ever be better than the people who make it
up."
The first step to involvement
is: get informed. Politics 101 is on on-going series providing
basic education on how government works, including lots
of practical tips on how you can get involved. We invite
you to write us with topics and questions you would like
included in future issues of our newspaper.
In Canada, three levels of
government -- federal, provincial and municipal -- ultimately
affect almost everything you do, from your health, education
and marriage to what TV programs you can watch and the
taxes you pay. When you as a citizen have a request, concern,
or a word of appreciation, who do you call? While some
of the following categories overlap, following is a general
division of responsibilities and powers.
Federal
Government
Call your Member of Parliament (MP) about:
- Banking/interest rates
- Citizenship
- Military
- Criminal Law
- Penitentiaries
- Foreign policy
- Pension plan
Income tax
- Postal service
- Defense
- Employment insurance
- Federal student loans
- Marriage/Divorce
- Television, radio and
broadcasting licenses
- Religious freedom (relating
to federal issues, such as criminal law, religious TV
policies etc.)
Provincial Government
Call your Provincial elected official (different provinces
use different terminology, including Member of Legislative
Assembly, Member of Provincial Parliament, etc.) about:
- Child welfare
- Education
- Health care
- Civil law
- Property rights/ public
lands
- Provincial prisons
- Vehicle/land/driver registry
- Workers compensation
- Maintenance Enforcement
- Forestry and energy
- Labor
- Hospitals
- Human rights
- Religious freedom (relating
to provincial issues, such as education)
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Municipal
Government
Call your councillor about:
- Fire/police
- Transportation
- Local health services
- Streets
- Property tax
- Building code/planning
- Garbage/snow removal
- Water/sewage
- Libraries
- Community standards (policies
on pornographic materials sold locally, VLT's, local
concerts and events etc.)
How do I find obtain the
name and phone, fax, E-mail or mailing address for my
Member of Parliament; Provincial elected official; Civic
councillor?
Member of Parliment
Call Elections Canada toll free at: 1-800-463-6868.
Provincial Elected Official:
Call your provincial elections offices, as follows:
- Alberta: 403-427-7191
- B.C.: 800-661-8683
- Manitoba: 204-945-3225
- Nova Scotia: 902-424-8584
- Newfoundland: 709-729-0712
- New Brunswick: 506-453-2218
- Ontario: 800- 668-2727
- Prince Edward Island:
902-368-4569
- Quebec: 800-461-0422
- Saskatchewan: 306-787-4000
- Yukon: 403-667-8683
- NWT: 403-669-2299
Civic Councillor
Call your local municipality.
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Dictionary
for the Politically Challenged Defines:
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Democracy
as 1a) government by the people; esp:
rule of the majority b) a government in
which the supreme power is vested in the
people and exercised by them directly
or indirectly through a system of representation
usually involving periodically held free
elections 2) a political unit that has
a democratic government.
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Dictatorship
as 1) the office of dictator 2) autocratic
rule, control, or leadership 3) a form
of government in which absolute power
is concentrated in a dictator or a small
clique.
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Source:
Webster's Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary
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