Making Democracy Work - What can we do?


Unit 8 is about participating in democracy. One way is through paying attention to the news and knowing what the issues are. However, there are other ways to get involved.

Targets


Read the I Can statements to see what you will learn in Unit 8.

I Can...

  • Tell how individuals, groups, and associations participate in decision-making regarding current events or issues

  • Explain how associations provide their members with a voice at local and provincial levels, exercising historical and constitutional rights

  • Indicate how elected officials demonstrate their accountability to the electorate

Introduction


How can individuals influence democratic decisions? At the end of Unit 7, you researched the case of Gurbaj Singh Multani, the 12-year old boy whose family challenged decision makers all the way to the Supreme Court of Canada. That influenced democracy in Canada.

Another way Canadians speak out is by participating in protests such as these...


Resources for Inquiry


Look at Canadian democracy in action!

This Kermode bear is one of the many bears that live in the Great Bear Rainforest in British Columbia. Because of a threat to its environment, a controversy grew between the Nuxalk First Nation and the government of BC. 
Unsplash
       

  1. Textbook

    Read pages 186 and 187 of your textbook, considering these questions as you read:

      • What was happening in the Great Bear Rainforest?

      • Why did the First Nation object?

      • Who got involved?

      • What was the result?

    This is an example of democracy in action. The actions of the Nuxalk First Nation and others brought about change. In this unit, you will learn how we can hold our governments accountable for their actions.

Library Books


Check out the library books for this unit.

    Click here to download a PDF version of the Library List of Books

If you are not able to find these library books, look for others about participating in democracy.

Skill Builder


Click here to learn how to search for books in a library.

Notebook


Throughout this unit, you will keep a Notebook. The PDF downloads are the pages of your Notebook.

  • Create a folder on your computer or in the cloud titled "Unit 8 Notebook".

  • Save all of the PDF downloads to this folder.

Whenever you see this icon you will be directed to use the Unit 8 Notebook folder you created.