“In true democracy every man and woman is taught to think for himself or herself.”

- Mahatma Gandhi

I vote every time there is an election. I believe it is my obligation as a citizen to be well informed and use my vote to ensure that the candidate I select will represent issues effectively, fairly and consistently with the platform they espouse. I also feel a bit of thrill every time I cast my vote. I am grateful that we have free and fair elections in Canada. It is an important act and a privilege that not everyone in the world enjoys. 

While democracy has flaws, it is a political system that presents several advantages. In a democracy, citizens have the right to procedural fairness, the opportunity to experience freedoms not known in non-democratic states and the privilege to experience political equality. In addition, democratic nations tend to outperform non-democratic nations in terms of measurements of human development, including health and education.

Democracies succeed best when governments serve the needs of citizens effectively. Democratic backsliding happens when there is an absence of strong social institutions, checks and balances, and if there is vast inequality between citizens. Within a democratic society, it takes significant commitment to ensure that the needs of its people are met, regardless of where they live or where their ancestral beginnings are. 

For me, the democratic ideals of equality, voting rights, freedom of expression, freedom of movement effective representation and an informed population are deeply connected to public education. It is extremely important that young people can access high-quality public education so they can assess and synthesize information critically, function as contributing members of society and form part of an informed electorate.

Within the context of a functioning democracy, public education is much more than learning facts and figures or receiving skills for employment — it is a part of how new generations are inducted into society as citizens. The education historian Diane Ravitch says, “An attack on public education is an attack on democracy.” Ravitch wrote this in part because of the policy decisions in the United States that were fragmenting public education and its ability to serve all members of the public.

From Ravitch’s perspective, schools are places where children of varying backgrounds come together, learn how to get along and expand their perspectives of the world around them. We need citizens who can think divergently and incorporate many viewpoints to solve serious problems like climate change, environmental degradation, polarization and economic insecurity, to name a few. Our social cohesion —our ability to build a vibrant future for communities, including restoring trust in democracy — relies on strong services, and this includes support for public education.