VOLUME 8 | ISSUE 31

INDIA’S MONUMENTAL EXERCISE IN DEMOCRACYELEMENTARY RESOURCES

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

• When India gained independence from Britain in 1947, it drafted a new constitution. at constitution established a parliamentary government based on Britain’s Westminster parliamentary model, which Canada’s federal and provincial governments are also based on.

• Unlike Canada, India has both a Prime Minister and a President.

• e Indian parliament has two “houses,” like Canada’s. e members of the lower house, called the Lok Sabha, are elected like our Members of Parliament in the House of Commons. e members of the upper house, called the Rajya Sabha, are appointed by the President or chosen by India’s provincial governments. e leader of the party with the most seats in the Lok Sabha becomes the Prime Minister. e Prime Minister heads the government.

• e members of the two houses of India’s parliament, plus the provincial governments, elect the President. e Indian President serves a role similar to Canada’s Governor General.

• ere are more than 500 registered political parties in Indian politics. However, most of them are regional parties—only active in one or two Indian provinces. e two largest national parties are the Bharatiya Janata Party, and the Indian National Congress.

• For over 1000 years, Indian society has been ordered into social classes called castes. Although it varies somewhat from region to region, the castes are based on social roles in history—priest, warrior, merchant, artisan. e lowest caste—the “untouchables”—the poorest of the poor who were only allowed to do the dirtiest jobs.

• Traditionally, there is no movement between castes. Whatever caste you were born into, you would stay in your whole life. You could only marry others of your caste, and your children would be the same.

• Modern Indian law does not recognize castes, however they are still present in Indian society and are often the basis of discrimination and even violence. e Indian government has taken many steps to end caste discrimination, especially against the lowest castes. Reserving seats in parliament is one example.

e following activities are designed to stimulate a current events discussion. Generative in nature, these questions can be a launching point for additional assignments or research projects.

Teachers are encouraged to adapt these activities to meet the contextual needs of their classroom.

In some cases, reading the article with students may be appropriate, coupled with reviewing the information sheet to further explore the concepts and contexts being discussed. From here, teachers can select from the questions provided below. e activity is structured to introduce students to the issues, then allow them to explore and apply their learnings. Students are encouraged to further re"ect on the issues.

NOTE TO EDUCATORS

KEY TERMSLogistical—From “logistics”—the planning and coordination to carry out a complex task.

Ballot—e piece of paper where you choose the candidate(s) you are voting for in an election.

Bribe—Money or other gifts given to someone to encourage them to do something.

Robocalls—Phone calls connected by a computerized autodialer to deliver a pre-recorded message. Although they can be used for legitimate purposes robocalling became a household word after they were used in the 2011 Canadian federal election to dissuade voters from casting their ballot by sending them to the wrong location for their polling station.

01

AN INITIATIVE OF

Raisina Hill, located in New Delhi, houses India’s most important government buildings.

THEMES AND COURSE CONNECTIONS • emes: Values and Ethics, Politics, Human Rights, Global Issues

• Course Connections: Language, Social Studies, History

MATERIALS • Front board

• Chart paper or 8” by 11” blank sheets of paper

• Writing utensils

SPECIFIC EXPECTATIONS AND LEARNING GOALS Students will:

• Develop and express responses to issues and problems.

• Reassess their responses to issues on the basis of new information.

• Participate in active group work and class discussions.

• Communicate effectively in oral, visual or text form.

• Demonstrate the ability to think critically.

• Develop, express and defend a position on an issue.

DISCUSS 1. What is a democratic society? What does it mean to vote?

How old do you need to be to vote in a Canadian federal election? How long has Canada been a democratic society? e ability to vote in federal elections was once considered a privilege while now it is considered a right, explain the difference. What are speci#c examples of Canada’s shift from a privilege to a right? (E.g., voting rights were #rst only given to males aged 21+ who owned property of a speci#c value. Since then there have been a number of advancements, but many were slow in coming meaning large numbers of disenfranchised people including women, First Nation, Metis, Inuit, and other minority groups. In addition to who has the right under the law, the issue of accessibility of polling stations has also been an issue.)

2. What is a bribe? How do bribes work with voting? Why is buying votes illegal? Why might they remain commonplace even though they are illegal?

3. What is “robocalling”? How does robocalling work? When did robocalling recently take place in Canada making it headline news? How does robocalling affect voting?

4. What is a caste system? While Canada has never had a caste system do you think there are any groups who should have this type of protected representation (reserved seats)?

5. e voter turnout for eligible young Canadians is low, why do you think this is? e Global Voices article suggests this low voter turnout is a result of politicians failing to address the issues that are important to young people, what issues are important to you now? What issues do you think will be important to you over the next few years as you come of voting age?

DIVE DEEPER Ask students to think critically about what they have read about the upcoming election in India and the voting practices in Canada by creating pros and cons lists for a few of the issues raised in the article.

Divide the class into #ve groups and have the groups tackle one issue each by creating one or two (depending on the topic) pros and cons lists. After ten or #fteen minutes they can share their thoughts on their issue with the rest of the class.

Or, ask the class to assemble in partners then give them the rest of the class to create pros and cons lists for each of the issues.

Pros and Cons lists: Voting in India vs. Canada

1. Old school vs. new age. e Global Voices article outlines how Canadians electors vote (with paper and pencil at temporary stationary polling stations) and how Indian electors vote (electronically at mobile voting machines). Create a pros and cons list for each method.

2. Logistically speaking. India has an intensely dense population throughout most of the country, especially in comparison with Canada’s population which is only moderately dense near the US/Canada border. Create a pros and cons list that identi#es the bene#ts and shortfalls of each population distribution in relation to the logistics of running an election (e.g., accessibility for every voter).

3. To vote or not to vote? According to the Global Voices article, India’s population are largely all politically active citizens (even abroad) while Canada’s voting population is increasingly apathetic. Create a pros and cons list that explains the two sides of voting.

4. is seat is reserved. e Global Voices article suggests that Canada consider reserving seats for the underrepresented people as India does. In the case of Canada, we would reserve seats for the aboriginal population. Create a pros and cons list that considers both sides of the issue for each India and Canada.

5. Discounts for democracy. In order to encourage voting in Canada the Global Voices article suggests Canada follows India’s practice of marking a voter’s #nger with indelible ink once they have cast their vote (traditionally used to help prevent election fraud) that also allows them to receive discounts at stores and gas stations. Create a pros and cons list that examines the two sides to this practice.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Elections Canada www.elections.ca

e Canadian Government www.parl.go.ca

02

AN INITIATIVE OF