Outline, with the assistance of at least one example, the characteristics of the liberal-democratic style of government.
... dictator Ferdinand Marcos the winner of the elections the Minister of National Defense, Juan Ponce Enrile set up a rebel headquarters inside Camp Aguinaldo demanding Macros resignation from office. Macros sent tanks to quell the rebellion but the church, led by Cardinal Jaime Sin sent out a message asking the people stand up for the rebels. The tanks left after many people protested against the quelling and a few days after massive protests Macros resigned and the rightful president was declared. This shows the force that the majority have over government and how if the unpopular candidate wins there will be protests. A candidate must win 50%+1 to win a democratic election or he will feel the wrath of the people as Macros found out. It is often said that a society without the rule of law can never be democratic. The rule of law makes nobody even the government above the law. “In November, 2000 Perth was shocked by a morning shark attack...that claimed the life of a man...Under the then law of Western Australia, the white pointer shark was a protected species and could only be destroyed with consent of the Minister of Conservation...the relevant minister was in a Cabinet meeting...By the time he had finished his meeting the rogue shark had disappeared.” This is a classic example of the rule of law prevailing, the rule made it illegal to kill sharks and the rule was respected. If a government does not have a rule of law it is considered undemocratic because the government is above the law. The fundamental features of the political and legal system of Canada which are liberal-democratic The executive branch of the Canadian government contains the Queen, represented by the Governor General, and the Cabinet, which is lead by the Prime Minister. The Prime Minster is the head of government which has the majority of seats in parliament. “The Canadian prime minister provides leadership and direction to government with the support of a cabinet, which the prime minister chooses, the prime minister's office of political staff, and the privy council office of non-partisan public servants who provide a focal point for the Canadian public service...”7 The Canadian elections are held every 4 years with a term of government being 5 years. This system of government is fully democratic because the Prime Minister is directly elected by the people and holds a majority in the House of Commons. The legislative power of the government is the elected parliament of Canada which is elected every 4 years, the senate being the Governor General’s choice on the suggestion of the Prime Minister. Although the Canadian people don’t have a say on whom their senators are, their elected Prime Minister makes the decision on behalf of the people. “There are many requirements to become a senator...you must be a Canadian citizen, be at least 30 years old, own property in your province or territory and you must live in the province or territory that you are representing as a senator.”2 With this principal the Canadian government would not be considered a democracy because the senators are not directly elected but the senators have strict rules on what they can and can’t do. A democracy’s basic principal is to voice the word of the people- the Prime Minister does that by recommending senators to the Governor General. These senators voice the Prime Minster’s opinion which is also the majority opinion. Judges in Canada are not bound to any political party and therefore are not accountable; instead the primary obligation of a judge is to the law which is designed to protect the citizens. Chief Justice Dickson of the Supreme Court of Canada gave a useful description of judicial independence in an important case. He wrote, “The role of the courts as resolver of disputes, interpreter of the law and defender of the Constitution requires that they be completely separate in authority and function from all other participants in the justice system . . . . . . the principle of judicial independence has been the complete liberty of individual judges to hear and decide the cases that come before them; no outsider - be it government, pressure group, individual or even another judge - should interfere in fact, or attempt to interfere, with the way in which a judge conducts his or her case and makes his or her decision.”6 The judicial section of the Canadian government is very democratic because the Judges are only bound to the law and Constitution. If in court in Canada you will know that the judges are not biased in any way and the decision they make is based on the evidence and habeas corpus. The main rights and obligations of the citizens of Canada Canadians have many freedoms and rights that are written in the Canadian Charter of Rights of 1982. Canada has two main languages, English and French,...