Is there consent of the governed in Canada?

Answer 1

According to Wikipedia, "In political philosophy, the phrase consent of the governed refers to the idea that a government's legitimacy and moral right to use state power is only justified and legal when consented to by the people or society over which that political power is exercised. This theory of consent is historically contrasted to the divine right of kings and has often been invoked against the legitimacy of colonialism. Article 21 of the United Nation's 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that "The will of the people shall be the basis of the authority of government".

But consider the following;

-Consent is often considered to be granted through the electoral process of voting for a representative. A voter may choose from one of the available candidates, yet has no part in the process of selecting candidates or party leaders, and almost no influence on what political decisions the elected representative will make.

-If the authority of government is derived from the consent of the people, this in turn implies that the people should have the right to revoke that consent, yet there are no official or legal provisions to do so and any attempts to do so are not recognised or considered valid.

-International banking and multi-national corporations have more influence over government decision making than the people do. This in turn has allowed continued exploitation of our Natural Resources and continuing degradation of the environment to the point of harming the biosphere. This continues to occur in defiance of multiple public demonstrations calling for better protection of the environment.

-The majority of tax dollars collected are spent servicing debt to foreign, privately owned banks despite constitutional provisions allowing Canada to borrow interest free from its own banks, thereby placing the government in breach of its fiduciary trust to the people.

-Public healthcare systems continues to degrade due to financial costs taking priority over human lives. No properly informed sane person would voluntarily consent to currency backed by nothing of any real value, and controlled by foreign private banking corporations as being more important than their own life.

-Despite multiple regular ongoing public demonstrations and protests demanding an end to GMO's, Genetically Modified Foods continue to be sold even while questions remain unanswered as to the long term safety of consuming GMO's, and without any form of labelling that would allow a consumer to make an informed choice. Corporate profits are given priority over human life by a government that has a mandate to protect it's citizens.

-In Ontario, as of mid 2016, tax payer funded Hydro One is in the process of being sold off to a private 'for profit' corporation against the wishes of the taxpayers, who payed for the hydro infrastructure with their tax dollars in the first place.

-Soldiers continue to be sent to fight wars, again against public support.

Despite claims to govern by consent of the people, the evidence does not seem to support this as being true.

Answer 2

yes