Canadians, like citizens around the world, believe in the dignity of individuals and the importance of their consent as a basis for government. The vast majority of Canadians will agree that assisting local actors who aspire to choose their governments and to participate in decisions that affect their lives should be a foreign policy priority. The difficult question to address is how we should go about promoting democracy. Canadian democracy itself has some unique strengths and Canadians have developed significant expertise in particular aspects of democratic governance, from grassroots political mobilization to parliamentary operations to human rights advocacy. Canada engages in democracy promotion both through efforts to deepen standards of democratic governance at regional and global levels, and through helping others achieve those standards. The experience of Canadian practitioners underscores the importance of a demand-driven approach in which democracy assistance is driven by its recipients. Determining how we can best assist other countries in achieving their aspirations for democracy will require consideration of Canadian strengths or areas of comparative advantage and ways in which we can apply our strengths in seeking solutions to address current challenges facing democratic governance. Democracy Promotion eDiscussion - Jan. 22nd to March 30 Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada (DFAIT) is looking to engage Canadians across the country to provide their views on the topic of Democracy Promotion through our online discussion group.
Democracy Promotion at the OAS Canada works closely with regional organizations such as the Organization of American States (OAS) as well as cross-regional organizations, including the Commonwealth and La Francophonie, to promote democratic principles among member states and foster enhanced monitoring and compliance in the area of democratic commitments. Canada is particularly focussed on strengthening democracy in the Hemisphere through its membership in the OAS. Canada supported the creation of the Unit for the Promotion for Democracy in 1999 and is working to promote full implementation of the Inter-American Democratic Charter (adopted in 2001). The Democratic Charter is a milestone not only because it articulates the essential elements of democracy but it also signals the commitments of OAS member states to the collective promotion of democracy.  Read more about democracy promotion at the OAS
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Slide Show
The OAS and Democracy in the Americas, by Paul Durand
Video Interviews 
Democracy Promotion
Bottom-up Democracy