Referendums, democracy and unreasoning masses

Democracies need built-in safeguards; that’s why democracy itself should have limits. But here’s a key point: in a true democracy, government doesn’t impose limits on the people; the people impose limits on the government.

The 1885 photo of Robert Harris' 1884 painting, Conference at Quebec in 1864, to settle the basics of a union of the British North American Provinces, also known as The Fathers of Confederation. The original painting was destroyed in the 1916 Parliament Buildings Centre Block fire. The scene is an amalgamation of the Charlottetown and Quebec City conference sites and attendees.Photograph courtesy of Wikipedia

Opinion

BY GERRY NICHOLLS

June 27, 2016

OAKVILLE, ONT.—This week when we celebrate the world’s most generic-sounding national holiday, otherwise known as “Canada Day,” we can all take pride in the fact that our country is a successful democracy. Truthfully, we Canadians are a shining example to the rest of the world, proving as w...

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