8.3.1 What Does It Mean to Be a Citizen?

How should I respond to globalization?


A dictionary defines citizen as a person who is a legal resident of a country.

In a democracy, that definition is expanded to mean a person who owes allegiance to a state in which the power is held by the people and who shares in the political rights of those people.

Many citizens are born into the citizenship of their nation; others choose to become citizens by accepting the
rights
legal claims to something or some aspect of life, including the powers and privileges of citizenship
rights and
responsibility
the moral, legal, or social force that binds individuals to their obligations and the courses of action demanded by that force
responsibilities that come with that citizenship. Every year, about 150 000 immigrants accept Canadian citizenship.

Almost every nation in the world has its own
constitution
a document that establishes the fundamental political principles by which a nation is governed

The constitution outlines the duties of government and frequently guarantees certain rights to the citizens.
constitution that outlines the rights and freedoms of its citizens. The rights of Canadian citizenship are defined clearly in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and include

  • fundamental freedoms of conscience and religion
  • freedom of thought and expression, including freedom of the press and other media
  • freedom of peaceful assembly
  • freedom of association

Other rights to which all Canadian are entitled include

  • democratic rights
  • mobility rights
  • legal rights
  • equality rights
  • language rights

Girl in front of orphanage in Uganda
Courtesy of D. Bates

With rights come responsibilities. In a democracy, citizens have chosen to join in decision-making. No other power decides how society should function or how people should behave. That is the task of the people.

Responsibilities of citizenship in Canada: All Canadians have the responsibility to follow Canadian law. As citizens in a democracy, we have the responsibility to ensure our government represents our interests and views. We can do that through being informed, making our voices heard, making decisions based on knowledge, and participating in the democratic process. Citizens of every nation are part of a larger whole and, therefore, have an important duty to contribute to society operating as well as possible for the benefit of all.

Citizenship in a democracy: Although citizens elect representatives to perform certain actions such as making laws and setting government policies and programs, the real power still rests with the people.

Having that kind of power involves many obligations. Because citizens share power in a democracy, they accept responsibilities for creating and maintaining the kind of country they want. However, because all citizens have their own points of view about what kind of government they want, not everyone in a nation agrees with the decisions that are made.

Perspectives on citizenship in a democracy: People have various beliefs about how society should operate. These
ideology
The study of the origin and nature of people; doctrine, philosophy, body of beliefs, or principles of an individual or group.

In Canada, capitalism is the dominant economic ideology and democracy is the dominant political ideology. Communism is a political and economic ideology practiced in the former Soviet Union and currently practiced in China, North Korea, Cuba, Vietnam, and Laos.

Ideologies can be gender-based (such as a patriarchal system, which is dominated by men) or racially-oriented (such as apartheid, which was a system of racial segregation in South Africa).
ideologies are part of their perspective or worldview and shape the actions they believe are needed for a functioning society. For example, a traditional liberal believes in change, greater individual freedoms, and government intervention in the economy for the good of the people. A traditional conservative believes in slow change and little or no intervention in the economy. A capitalist businessman may want complete freedom to make money in whatever way he or she sees fit, an environmentalist may do everything possible to protect the environment, and a socialist may insist on strong laws to protect workers.

All these legitimate and conflicting perspectives come together in a democracy. As citizens, we have to strive to understand each other's perspectives while striving for what we believe is right. Our perspectives influence the actions we take to make society function.

Reflect


Global perspectives: Around the world are many perspectives about the role of citizens in society.

  • In a society that believes in consensus decision-making, each citizen has a vital role in being informed, sharing views, and ensuring decisions reflect the interests of the whole group.

  • In a nation where the dominant perspective is male, women have limited roles in government decision-making although they may still have vital roles in the home to ensure that society functions smoothly.

  • In a totalitarian state, citizens may be forbidden from any public display of dissent. They may be forbidden from assembling, protesting, or printing opinions that criticize the government. Their role as citizens is very different from the role of citizens in free countries, but they still have roles in working towards a better future.