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for their activities,

 

other press >>> FEATURES

continued from page 19

one believes to be right or wrong, to
participate in making decisions that
have consequences’ which’ reach
beyond the confines of our own living
rooms, communities, and countries.
Several groups within Canada offer
information that is not readily available
through mainstream sources. These
advocate groups are founded on the
basic principles that Canadians should
have access to government and
business activities, that government
and business should be accountable
that Canadians
should have access to mechanisms of
recourse against government and
business waste, abuse, and misrepre-

sentation—along with the right of
Canadians to gather as _ citizens,
consumers, and taxpayers to have

meaningful participation and represen-
tation in the Canadian political system.

Democracy Watch On-line
www.dwatch.ca/

Democracy Watch was started in
1993 and has worked to empower
Canadian consumers to hold govern-
ment and business’ organizations
accountable for decisions and
practices. The site offers a wealth
of easy to follow links to government
contact information, government Web-
sites and other citizen activist and
lobbyist groups. Another _ link
accesses any number of campaigns
and action alerts, such as a government
ethics campaign, and voter’s rights
campaign.

Canadians for Direct Democracy
www.npsnet.com/cdd/

 

 

 

 

The catch phrase for this Web-site is:

"Direct Democracy is to the 21st
century what the magna carta was to
the 13th century."

The right of citizens to be directly
involved in the country’s decision-
making process by exercising the right
to hold a vote on any issue, essen-
tially giving every citizen veto power.
The belief that democracy should be
tailored to the needs of individual com-
munities is hinted at, but the links to
articles on the site do not explore this
idea fully. There are links to other sites
and the majority of the links are
centred locally in British Columbia
providing examples of how actively
participating in the community can
make a difference.

Rights & Democracy
www.ichrdd.ca/flash.html

This is a simple, yet nicely done
international Web-site calling for inter-
national support for women’s rights,
democratic elections in third world
countries and support for the building
of infrastructure in countries of need.
There are job postings and descrip-
tions for anyone interested in helping
out around the world. The site is
offered in English, French, and
Spanish, and can take some time to
appreciate all of the compiled
information.

Global Democtacy Ottawa
www.gdo.ca/index.html

This Web-site is for the active
activist. It lists a national list of protest
activities and articles relating to past,
current, and upcoming events in
Canada. A big disadvantage to local
activists is most of the meetings
advertised in this site are staged for

an Ontario audience. It is a very
current site and is presently campaign-
ing for people who are interested in
participating at staged protests during
the June 21 to 28 G8 Summit at
Kananaskis National Park in Alberta.
The content of this site is geared
directly for the activist who wishes to
get involved, and a major focus is on
people’s right to protest. Although an
interesting and well laid out site, the
religious fervour saps a lot of energy.

World History of Democracy
www.nipissingu.ca/department/
history/muhlberger/histdem/#implink
A Web-site geared more toward an
academic audience is set up in an
older web format where the user can
either scroll down the page, or click on
one of five subheadings, speeding the
reader to the appropriate section.
Unfortunately there are no links back
to the top of the page, leaving the
reader to scroll back up. Despite the
minor navigation issue, the information
is plentiful and diverse. As the site is
geared towards the _ history of
democracy, there are subjects span-
ning the breadth of human existence
and diversity. Anyone interested in
democratic systems ranging from
American Aboriginal cultures, and
Southern Asian democracies to the
more Western form of Mediterranean
democracy, may very well find this site
enjoyable.

Make a Stand

Most people are really keen on taking
a stand when their own personal space
is being invaded. However, in the new
world order, it becomes imperative to
step outside of our own living rooms,
share with our neighbours, unite with
those who have common goals and
aspirations. As individuals and as
members in a rapidly changing global
community we must keep ourselves
informed, in the proverbial loop, and
develop’ discerning and_ critical
perspectives when observing the
actions of governments, banks and
corporations. As Ralph Nader has
shown, one person can make a
difference. As citizens, it is up to
each of us to avoid being a lamb. We
cannot afford to let banks, corporations,
or government dictate the spin of the
planet. As Macdonald Burbidge has
stated: letting politicians rule spells
disaster for all.

Cee