Civic education in Canada is not looking good
Canadians don’t know their government as well as they should, and that is a major problem
Canadian federal parliament. (Flickr/Ansel Adams)
Knowledge is a resource that is abundant in these modern times, yet it seems like many people have a deficiency of it. A cursory glance at the Internet is more than enough proof of this state of affairs, but it goes deeper than that. While nobody can be an expert on every subject or field of study ever conceived, that does not — nor should it — keep people from having at least some basic understanding of areas outside their immediate masteries.
Some subjects we can go without knowing too much about since the chances that they affect the daily lives of the average person are slim to none. However, there are other topics that would leave us sorely deprived in their absence. Neglecting to maintain and reinforce these areas of education hurts the individual and, if allowed to persist long enough and spread out to others, compromises the functions of society at large.
Good civic education fosters an understanding of the theory, practice, and responsibilities associated with national citizenship. It has to be the most critical topic that any flourishing liberal democratic society can invest in.
We have seen time and time again in other countries how fragile the institution of democracy is. All it takes is picking at one small crack in the structure to bring down everything else. Protecting the universal franchise and the Charter of Rights and Freedoms requires more than state enforcement. It also needs the people’s continuing participation, which comes from knowing what is going on. That last part is where my concern lies.
Ottawa had to endure the so-called “Trucker” or “Freedom” convoy occupying its downtown area and outside Parliament Hill against COVID-19 health mandates for three weeks. Throughout those 21 days, Canadians witnessed ignorance on levels beyond scientific and medical illiteracy.
High-profile participants and fellow travellers of the convoy failed to demonstrate basic civic knowledge. Members of the convoy believed that an extra-parliamentary group could form government coalitions, ignored the actual authority wielded by the Governor General, and cited the First Amendment of the United States Constitution during a bail hearing amongst other noteworthy examples.
It’s easy to dismiss this as being squarely on the shoulders of a group of people who already display a critical lack of understanding, however that is taking the easy way out. This is far more than an amalgamation of individuals who just happened to be unaware of the same things; it’s a population-wide oversight in education.
Canadian society cannot afford to allow this to continue. If people’s ability to meaningfully absorb civic education degrades further, then democracy in this country could be taken to the precipice of collapse. Without better civic education, the average citizen’s attempt to navigate a system they don’t understand will be increasingly influenced by the inaccurate roadmaps they have access to online.
The damage has the potential to cause a ripple effect that may be felt for decades to come. Mitigating the problem requires decisive action that is now overdue by several years.
That doesn’t mean all hope is lost entirely. The Canadian education system and federal and provincial governments can still mend this gaping hole. Using whatever powers available, a multi-pronged initiative must take place to ensure that we, along with the next generation of voters, have a critical understanding of our political conventions and institutions.
This way citizens with complaints against the system will actually know how to navigate it and direct their ire towards the appropriate avenues, and advocate for meaningful changes and results. It is vital for preserving Canadian democracy that we actually know how our government really functions.
