Origins of Canadian Government

Democracy in Ancient Greece

507 BCE

The first ever democracy took place in Ancient Greece. The word democracy comes from the Greek words demos and kratos. Each year citizens were required to vote for who they thought was a good fit to rule. 500 citizens would be "elected" and would pass on laws to which other citizens would vote.
The democracy system in Ancient Greece heavily influenced the democracy system today in Canada. Canada has taken many things the Ancient Greeks did and have used it towards our government today.

The Roman Empire

31 BCE

The first emperor was Augustus Caesar, who came into power after Julius Caesar was killed. The empire continued to grow and became hard to control. Eventually war began to end the Empire and it eventually collapsed in 476 C.E. . The Roman law has influenced Canadian government largely to common law and civil law traditions.

The Magna Carta

1215

This was the first ever government to be officially written on a document saying the king and his government were not above the law. This made sure the king did not exploit his power and his power had limits.
This greatly influenced the Canadian law as it was the start of people gaining rights and stating the monarch would also be held accountable for their own actions.

British Parliament

1215

The British Parliament works by it possessing power over all the political bodies located in the United Kingdom. It contains 2 houses; the House of Commons and the House of Lords. The House of Lords does not have a specific number of seats and does not control the term of government/prime minister.
The Canadian government system developed to be a lot like the British Parliament system. Though there are some differences, Canada's government was greatly influenced by the British Parliament.

Iroquois Confederacy

1350

The Iroquois Confederacy was a confederacy of Native Americans and First Nations peoples. It is often known as the world's oldest participatory democracies. The people came together and chose to live peacefully despite their differences.
This influenced the Canadian government by making a law of peace and a right for all people despite race, age, gender etc should all have rights and not discriminate.

John Locke

1632

John Locke was an English philosopher and physician who believed that the government had obligations to its citizens and citizens could easily overthrow the government if treated wrongly. He believed mankind is a state of nature by freedom and equality.
The influence John Locke had on Canadian government was mainly around rights to equality and freedom of religion and speech. He made a statement that all people have the right to pursue which influenced the Declaration of Independence.

Divine Right of Kings

1688

The Divine Right of Kings was an era of time where the person in charge believed they got their authority from god and not from any element of earthly government. This person had total authority and expected complete obedience from their followers.
This influenced Canadian government by helping Canadians understand that it is important for more than one person to rule and everyone should be held accountable for their actions.

Thomas Hobbes

1700

Thomas Hobbes was a philosopher that believed humans could live together in peace despite their differences. He believed we were not naturally social nor political and must agree on a state of government together.
He influenced Canadian government by leading people in charge to understand humans can live together peacefully despite having many different views. This lead to the many rules/rights we have today, giving us freedom of speech and different rights that allow us the live free.

Revolutionary Ideas

1800

The main ideas of revolution are centered around economic change, technological change, political change and/or social change. The American Revolution started because of colonial opposition. The French Revolution started because of bankruptcy due to the involvement in the American Revolution and the spending of King Louis XVI.
This greatly influenced the Canadian government as it welcomed the idea of religious tolerance and created a more representative form of government.

Social Revolution

1960

Social revolutions are fast changes in the structure of society and nature. The Great Depression was when the stock market crashed and the money supply collapsed and declined rapidly. The 1960's scoop was a tragic event where First Nations, Metis and Inuit children were taken from their homes without consent or warning.
This influenced Canadian government by creating rights and laws for the protection of Indigenous peoples and how and when money should and should not be spent.