How Canadians Govern Themselves - Parlement du Canada

How Canadians Govern ThemselvesVoting is one way of participatingdirectly in our democracy.Historically, Canada is a nation foundedby the British and the French. Yet it isnow a great amalgam of many peoples.They have common rights and needs,and their own particular requirementswithin the general frame of the law. Allthese must be recognized. We are faryet from realizing many of our ideals,but we have made progress.Photo: Elections Canadain just and peaceful sharing, but how isthat to be achieved? We have gained forourselves a certain measure ofsecurity for the aged and sick andhelpless, yet poverty is still with us. Soare regional disparities.These are all problems of government,and therefore your problems. They allconcern millions of people and aretherefore difficult to solve. Parliamentsand parties, like life, have no instantremedies, but they have one commonaim. It is to get closer to you, todetermine your real will, and toendeavour to give it form and thrust foraction. That is the work you chose themfor, and it can be done in the end onlywith your help. When you take aninterest in your community, when youform an opinion in politics, and whenyou go to cast your vote, you are partof government.Living Government50As a country we have grown richer, butwe have paid a price in terms ofenvironmental pollution. We are leavingthe farms and bushlands and crowdinginto the cities. Ours is becoming acomputerized, industrialized, urbanized,and ever more multicultural society,and we face the difficulties of adaptingourselves and our institutions tonew lifestyles.These changes have produced a newconcern for an environment that ourforebears took for granted. We believe