Democracy, Oligarchy or Something Better?

By now most of the world, especially Greenland and Panama and Americans 51st state (Canada), have responded positively to President Trump’s bombastic claims to Make America Great Again, while he tries to take over the world.

Canadians are wondering who their new prime minister, Mark Carney, really is, and what he stands for, and stands against. While Mr. Carney chucks up his nonbinding political promises to give the Western Provinces more control over their voice, wealth and potential; Alberta and some of the other Western Provinces are still talking secession. However, the more secession is discussed; the more serious minds are realizing, the near impossibility for this to happen.

For starters, any separation from the rest of Canada would trigger negotiations with the other Provinces, first Nations, the federal government, and involving the Banff and Jasper national parks. Their combined land ownership represents nearly 90% of Alberta.

The Western Provinces want more control over their voice in government, their existing and potential undeveloped wealth. But should secession succeed, what form of government would be formed? Democracy or another Oligarchy?

Democracy is an umbrella term that covers many forms of representative government, implying policy decisions are made directly by voters or their elected representatives; but does it? An Oligarchy refers to a government controlled by a small group of powerful individuals, whose power is gained through wealth, nobility, religious status, and/or military rank; The term also usually implies that those powerful individuals are corrupt and personally benefitting from their role in government.

“We can have democracy in this country, or we can have great wealth concentrated in the hands of a few, but we can't have both.” - Louis Dembitz Brandeis, (American lawyer, and Associate Justice on the Supreme Court of the United States from 1916 to 1939.

Every country in the world (in green) claims to be a type of Democracy, except, Saudi Arabia, Oman, the UAE, Qatar, Brunei, Afghanistan and the Vatican (in red).

“Indeed, it has been said that Democracy is the worst form of Government except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time.…’ Winston S Churchill

The Vatican is a Catholic, Theocracy, but elective, (a rare case of non-hereditary) Monarchy. Afghanistan is a totalitarian, Theocracy in which the Taliban Islamic movement holds a monopoly on power. Each of the remaining five can be generalized as Islamic, Theocratic hereditary Monarchy.

Less than half the population of Canada elects their leaders. According to Elections Canada, in the last federal election in 2021, 38% of eligible voters did not vote; only 44.5% of the population voted. Many Canadians have a negative public attitude about politicians, the government, the candidates, the political parties, the issues, the electoral system, and feel there are problems in the administration of the elections.

Like many other Canadians, I believe my vote doesn’t really count; my participation is meaninglessness, there is lack of competition between candidates, and rampant dishonesty amongst them. The result; apathy and cynicism of the voter.

Canada is already an Oligarchy, “a government of the billionaires, by the billionaires and for the billionaires.”

If any one or all of the Western Canadian Provinces secede from Canada, are we “doing the same thing and expecting different results”. Can we have a better form of government if we stay within the nation of Canada? I believe we can; but we MUST make major changes in our existing structure? Let’s hear your thoughts.