Social Studies 30-2 Unit 4 Study Notes
The Liberal Response
In general, liberal democracies have mechanisms in place to address the need for swift action (an advantage
of totalitarianism) and to exert a measure of control over the boom-bust cycle (an advantage of collectivism).
Liberal democracies, such as Canada, include laws that allow the government to suspend civil liberties during
periods of crisis. Canada has invoked its War Measures Act three times: for both World Wars and for the October
Crisis. (The October Crisis occurred when a group of militant Quebecois nationalists called the FLQ kidnapped
a British diplomat and a provincial cabinet minister.) The suspension of civil liberties is unpopular in liberal
democracies, so it is rarely invoked. The War Measures Act was replaced with the Emergencies Act in 1988. The key
difference between the two is that the government must still act within the bounds of the Charter of Rights and
Freedoms when invoking the Emergencies Act.
As far as the economy goes, liberal democracies tend to combine traits of free market and command
economies. These mixed economies are capitalist with a limited amount of government control. For example,
liberal democracies run social programs to soften the impact of bust periods (recessions or depressions). Thus,
people are protected should they face unemployment or are unable to afford the basic necessities of life.
However, these programs come with the expectation that the recipients, if and when they are able, will seek
reemployment and not rely on the government to make their way. In general, liberal democracies extend their
social safety net to provide for people who are poor, unwell, or otherwise disadvantaged, regardless of the state of
the economy.
Liberalism and Democracy
In general, liberal democracies do not employ direct democracy; that is, the citizens do not directly
participate in approving or rejecting new laws or initiatives. Instead, most liberal democracies are
representative: the citizens elect a person to represent them in the government. The only time that citizens
participate directly in democracy is when the government asks them to vote on a referendum. In Canada, this has
occurred three times at the federal level.
A frequent criticism of representative democracy is that it often results in simple majority rule. A majority
government (one in which the ruling party has over half the available seats in the legislature or parliament)
has a free hand to act as it wishes, as long as it does not violate the constitution or the rule of law. In practice, such
governments are restrained by the simple fact that if they act irresponsibly, they will not be reelected. They will
therefore employ consensus decision-making, in which the views of the minority are taken into account.
Occasionally, liberal-democratic governments fail to adhere to the ideals of liberalism. Even Canada, a nation
respected internationally for being tolerant and open-minded, has committed human rights abuses. These
episodes, though shameful, have strengthened the national resolve to prevent them from happening again.
Residential Schools
Beginning in the 19th century, the Canadian government decided to "civilize" Canada's Aboriginal peoples.
One method they used was to establish the residential school system. Under this system, Aboriginals were to be
educated in European culture, science, history, and religion, and Aboriginal culture was to be gradually phased out.
Conditions at the schools were terrible. Aboriginal students were forced to attend; they were often removed
from their families and housed in walled residences. If they spoke their native languages or practiced their
own religion, they were beaten. They were not allowed to miss class, even if they were severely ill, and this
contributed to the spread of diseases such as tuberculosis among the students. In several cases, students
were subjected to sexual abuse.
In 1998, the government acknowledged the excesses of the residential school system and began the process
of reconciliation and resolution with those who had been forced to attend. In 2008, in an address that was
Social Studies 30-2 Unit 4 Study Notes
broadcast nationally, Prime Minister Stephen Harper formally apologized for the creation of the residential school
system.
Internment Camps
During the First World War, Canadians of Ukrainian descent were treated as enemy aliens. They were forced to
register with the government, and around 5 000 people were imprisoned in internment camps. The detainees
were often forced to work as labourers and had their property confiscated.
Much the same thing occurred during the Second World War after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Although
the Japanese had attacked the United States, people of Japanese descent were treated more harshly in
Canada than they were in the United States. Nearly 22 000 Japanese-Canadians were imprisoned. Their
property was confiscated, and they were used as forced labour. Ironically, some of the interned citizens had fought
for Canada during the First World War.
The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms
The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms is part of Canada's Constitution, which was formalized in 1982. It
sets out the rights and freedoms to which Canadian citizens are entitled. These rights include the following:
Fundamental freedoms—freedom of thought, freedom of religion, freedom of association, etc.
Democratic rights—right to vote, right to periodic elections, etc.
Mobility rights—right to move between Canada's provinces and territories
Legal rights—right to privacy, protection from cruel and unusual punishment, etc.
Equality rights—affirmation that all citizens are equal under the law
Other rights—language rights, multiculturalism, Aboriginal treaty rights, etc.
The Supreme Court Of Canada Has Final Authority Over Interpretation Of The Charter.
The charter also includes a clause called the notwithstanding clause. This clause allows a provincial legislature
to pass laws that may violate certain sections of the charter. The notwithstanding clause gives the provinces more
say in their own affairs, but its use is not without limits. It can only be applied to fundamental freedoms, legal
rights, and equality rights. It can only be used where the legislature has jurisdiction (legal power), so it cannot
be used to change federal laws. Finally, citizens tend to take a dim view of having their rights violated, so a
government that misuses the notwithstanding clause will pay for it at election time. In practice, the
notwithstanding clause is seldom invoked.
It is a guarantee of the core rights and freedoms entrenched in liberal ideology, such as freedom of speech,
freedom of association, and freedom of religion. It protects Canadian multiculturalism and Aboriginal treaty
rights. It also protects people from human rights abuses. The Supreme Court of Canada has final authority over
interpretation of the charter.
The government of Quebec did not approve the Constitution Act of 1982, so it developed its own bill of rights: the
Quebec Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms. It is similar to the Canadian charter, but it also extends to
economic and social rights, whereas Canada's charter covers civil and political rights. The Quebec charter
came into effect in 1976. It is important to note that the Canada's charter takes precedence over Quebec's
charter, even though Quebec did not approve the Constitution Act.
Liberty and Security
Liberal ideology is strong with many passionate adherents, but in the real world, its values come under near-
constant challenge. Liberal democracies often face difficult choices when presented with real-world problems.
One of the responsibilities of the government is to protect its citizens from harm. Any nation is vulnerable,
whether it be to war, disease, or terrorist attacks. Because they allow freedom of movement, liberal democracies
are particularly vulnerable to the latter two. Infectious diseases can grow to become pandemics if they are not
Social Studies 30-2 Unit 4 Study Notes
contained. In recent times, fears over Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and Avian Influenza ("bird
flu") have caused liberal democracies to make illiberal choices, such as restricting people's free movement and
interfering with trade.
The problem of terrorism was brought home to North Americans on September 11, 2001, when the terrorist
organization al-Qaida hijacked four commercial airliners. Two of the planes struck the twin towers of New
York City's World Trade Center, completely destroying the buildings. A third plane caused heavy damage to the
Pentagon, the headquarters of the United States Department of Defence. The fourth was deliberately
crashed-landed in Pennsylvania by passengers attempting to retake the plane from the terrorists.
Because of the attacks, all civilian air traffic was grounded for three days, and many flights were diverted to Mexico
and Canada. Canada quickly launched Operation Yellow Ribbon to help coordinate the sudden, massive influx
of air traffic. Canada shut down their airspace (except for necessary military and humanitarian flights) and
received approximately 45 000 passengers who all needed food and shelter until the resolution of the crisis.
The United States declared a war on terrorism, and in October 2001, they passed the controversial USA
PATRIOT Act. The act increased the power of law enforcement to search people's private records, detain and
deport suspected terrorists, and monitor financial transactions. It was controversial, though, because such things
contravene civil liberties; indeed, several of its provisions have been ruled unconstitutional.
Liberal democracies must sometimes walk a fine line between liberty and security. They must try to guarantee the
safety of their citizens without violating their civil rights, and that is not always an easy feat.
Ideology and citizenship
In liberal democracies, citizens must choose how they will participate in the shaping of their government.
Many choose to adhere to the ideology of a political party—an ideologically based political group that seeks
election for its members. In Canada, there are five prominent parties at the federal level.
Conservative Party of Canada: The Conservative party was formed in 2003 with the amalgamation of the old
Progressive Conservative party and the Canadian Alliance (formerly the Reform party, a Western-based
conservative party that advocated political reform). The Progressive Conservative party favoured a progressive
social approach (that is, gradual social progress); the new Conservatives are socially conservative and tend to
oppose initiatives like same-sex marriage. The party has always been fiscally conservative, and supports lower
taxes, increased spending on military and law enforcement, and laissez-faire economics. It also advocates
increased government transparency and accountability. The conservative party is nicknamed the Tories.
Liberal Party of Canada: The Liberal party was founded in 1867. It is generally known as a centrist party,
seeking a middle ground between conservatism and socialism. Thus, the Liberals share certain ideas with the
Conservatives, including increased military spending and balanced budgets. On the other hand, they are more
inclined to support socially liberal policies and increased spending on social programs. In recent times, the
Liberals have formed powerful majority governments, in part because of the splitting of the conservative vote
between the Progressive Conservatives and the Canadian Alliance. The merger of the two parties, combined
with a major financial scandal (the sponsorship scandal) has eroded the Liberal's power considerably. The
Liberal party is nicknamed the Grits.
New Democratic Party of Canada: The New Democratic Party was founded in 1961. It was originally a socialist
party, but in recent years has become increasingly moderate. Ideologically, it is still slightly left of centre, and it
is socially and fiscally liberal. It supports the expansion of social welfare programs, workers' rights, minority
rights, and increased taxes on corporations. It also agrees with some of the other parties on various issues,
most notably the need to reform the Senate and maintain a balanced budget. The New Democrats have never
formed the federal government, but often have enough seats to exert influence in the House of Commons,
especially during minority governments.
The Bloc Quebecois: The Bloc Quebecois is based in Quebec and was founded in 1991. Its members promote
Social Studies 30-2 Unit 4 Study Notes
Quebec's regional interests in the House of Commons and advocate increased sovereignty for that province (up
to and including secession from Canada). In general, the party is socially liberal and fiscally conservative, and it
often supports environmental or human rights causes. Despite its regional power base, the Bloc is powerful
enough to have formed the official Opposition (the party with the second-highest number of seats) after the
1993 federal election.
The Green Party of Canada: The Green party was founded in 1983 and is primarily concerned with
environmental causes. It is only recently, in 2004, that the Green party received enough of the popular vote to
qualify for federal funding. Because the Green party draws support from conservative, liberal, and socialist
people who are concerned with the environment, it is difficult to pinpoint its location on the political spectrum.
The Green party believes that the environment can be protected without overburdening the nation's finances.
Furthermore, they predict that inaction on environmental matters will result in billions of dollars lost to cleanup
in the future.
Rights, roles, and responsibilities in a democratic society
Responsibilities of citizenship
Citizens in liberal democracies have certain basic responsibilities. First, they must pay their taxes. Second, they
must obey their nation's laws—even if they are abroad. Finally, they must serve on a jury if selected to do so.
Other responsibilities depend on the nation in question. For example, in Australia, all eligible citizens are
required to vote. Other nations require a term of military service (although this is often limited to males only).
Many citizens feel that they also have moral responsibilities, such as voting, refraining from interfering with
other citizen's rights, expressing national pride, and contributing to or working for charities. Such things are
generally up to the conscience of the individual, although they may be influenced by social pressures.
Protest and civil disobedience
Citizens in liberal democracies have the right to criticize the actions of their government. This criticism, when
shared by a number of people, can turn into organized protests. As long as these protests are peaceful and
orderly, they are perfectly legal. Protests take various forms, such as marches, assemblies, and boycotts. There
are also more violent forms of protest, such as riots or direct attacks, but these are in no way protected under
the Canadian Constitution or criminal law.
Some protesters employ civil disobedience—the simple refusal to obey laws that they consider unjust without
resorting to violence or otherwise breaking the law. Thus, protesters may picket or blockade the entrance to a
business they find offensive, refuse to pay a tax that they find unjust, or find other forms of disobedience. The
largest act of civil disobedience in Canada occurred in 1993, when over 12 000 environmentalist protestors
blockaded logging roads in Clayoquot Sound.
Rights, roles, and responsibilities during conflict humanitarian crises
Sometimes innocent people are caught up in disasters beyond their control and are left without the basic
necessities of survival. Humanitarian crises can occur in the wake of natural disasters, wars, pandemics, etc. The
international community responds to these crises by providing aid.
Crisis: The Boxing Day Tsunami
On December 26, 2004, an extremely powerful earthquake beneath the Indian Ocean triggered a tsunami—a
massive wave that radiated out from the earthquake's epicentre. The tsunami devastated the coastal regions
and islands of the Indian Ocean, including countries such as India, Thailand, Sri Lanka, and Indonesia. When the
wave subsided, over 200 000 people had lost their lives and around 10 million more were left homeless. Those
in the affected areas were at risk of disease, given the lack of sanitation and clean water available. The
international community responded with approximately $7 billion USD in aid.
Social Studies 30-2 Unit 4 Study Notes
Anti-war movements
In the modern era, people have protested against war for a variety of different reasons, such as humanitarian
reasons, religious reasons, and anti-globalization reasons. In recent times, anti-war movements have focused
on conflicts such as the Sudanese civil war, the United States-led invasion of Iraq, and the ongoing struggle
between Israel and its neighbours. In Canada, over four million citizens belong to peace groups, which are
coordinated by the Canadian Peace Alliance.
Anti-war movements tend to manifest themselves in acts of protest and civil disobedience as well as personal
endeavors, including writing to members of Parliament and government ministers, signing petitions, and voting
for anti-war candidates in elections.
Pro-democracy movements
The world has become increasingly democratic since the end of the Second World War. Much of this has to do
with the decolonization of overseas empires (especially in Africa and India), although several decolonized
nations soon fell to totalitarian dictatorships. The collapse of the Soviet Union sparked pro-democracy
movements throughout its constituent nations and satellite states. Democracy is now the world's dominant
political ideology, although many regions, such as Africa and Central and South America, are still struggling.
Solidarity
One of the best-known pro-democracy movements in the former Soviet bloc arose in Poland in 1980. It centred
on a labour union movement called Solidarity, led by Lech Walesa. Despite the repression of the local
Communist government, Walesa and Solidarity coordinated strikes around Poland throughout the 1980s.
Eventually, the government agreed to allow partially free elections in 1989, and Solidarity's triumph was
astounding: they won every seat in the lower house for which they were eligible and 99 of the 100 available
seats in the senate.
Solidarity's victory meant the end of Communist rule in Poland and inspired other Warsaw Pact nations to push
for democracy. Not long after, the Communist Party of Hungary dissolved itself, but not before passing
sweeping pro-democracy reforms. The governments of Czechoslovakia, Bulgaria, and East Germany collapsed
under massive popular pro-democracy movements, and the government of Romania was violently overthrown.
The movement soon spread to the Soviet Union itself, and just over two years after Solidarity's victory, the
Soviet Union was formally dissolved.