Protecting Democracy

The ability to vote in elections may be the most important part of the democratic process, but for democracy to be meaningful it requires more than being able to cast a ballot. People need the freedom to speak out and to feel their voices matter. Rules are needed to protect the integrity of the democratic process and stop the wealthy from using their money to drown out others.

Strong unions and other civil society groups are an important part of the process because they give people a collective voice and, in turn, greater power. There is a clear link between the strength of unions and the strength of democracy.

NUPGE’s Position

For NUPGE, protecting the democratic process is an integral part of our work on protecting the rights of working people. As unionists in other countries have seen far too often, attacks on democracy are closely tied to attacks on unions and on workers’ wages and working conditions.

NUPGE has worked with other unions to strengthen the legal protections for individual workers and their organizations. NUPGE has also been part of the pushback against attacks on unions and other organizations, such as when the government of Ontario tried to use the notwithstanding clause to override the constitutional rights of workers. NUPGE has also supported rules to strengthen the democratic process. And we believe that all political parties and their leaders need to be prepared to put protecting the democratic process ahead of personal or partisan advantage.