Direct Access Democracy Canada

Direct Access Democracy Canada was a political party in Canada, led by John Oprea. It is now called Direct Democracy Canada.

Oprea sought election to the Canadian House of Commons as an independent candidate in the June 28, 2004 federal election in the Ontario riding of Cambridge and North Dumfries. He was the DAD's only candidate. He won 133 votes, 0.26% of the total, and placed 6th out of 7 candidates.

Direct Access Democracy Canada is not registered with Elections Canada, the Canadian government’s election agency, and therefore is not recognized as an official party.

DAD aims to extend and expand Canada’s system of representative democracy with a participatory democracy where all citizens have equal opportunity to participate in making important political decisions.

Contents

1 Principles 2 Policy 3 See also 4 External link

Principles

• Only the People, as a whole, have the authority in a democracy to decide on important issues.
• Each eligible member should have the right to participate directly in the government of Canada every day using direct access democratic practices.
• Each eligible citizen should have equal opportunity to make decisions on important government issues regardless of race, creed, wealth, political orientation or gender.
• Each member should have the following individual rights:

1. right to participate in the governing of the country at all levels everyday, based on the principles of direct access democracy,
2. freedom of speech and opinion,
3. freedom of choice,
4. to elect and be elected as a Direct Access Democracy Canada Representative in all the levels of government,
5. equal opportunity in voting, education, training, employment and participation in Government regardless of race, creed, wealth or gender.

Policy

• DAD Canada would provide direct access communication means (Internet, public television, telephone, town meetings), and a direct access democratic structure to provide all members equal access to obtain information about government policies, participate in the assessment of the policies, modify, improve and adopt or reject policies using free access and direct voting.
• DAD Canada Representatives would provide every day services of political representation, political brokerage and political mediation. The members of DAD Canada in an electoral riding would select a DAD Representative who, if elected, would represent the Community and provide its members direct access to important decision making. When a new Law or regulation or a proposals to alter the existing Law is discussed, the DAD Representative will provide political brokerage. Members of the party would be informed on issues using the Internet, public television, radio and newspapers. The DAD National Forum would use the Internet and a special communication and collaboration software to make policy proposals for every important issue. The DADNF would decide/vote on the best options, and the top two new policy proposals on that specific issue are forwarded to DAD MPs. The DAD MPs would use an official public opinion telephone survey to test the real choice of the people from their riding on the two proposals. The outcome of the official public survey (OPS) would be accepted as the will of the people from that riding. Similar structures and methodology would apply to provincial and local levels.
• The DAD Representative would be bound by the decision of the community on any issue if an Official Public Survey produced an option with a simple majority (50% +1). When the OPS on an issue has less than a majority of votes, the outcome of the survey would be only advisory for the DAD Representative. On routine procedural issues, the DAD Representative would vote according to his/her own will.
• DAD Canada Representatives would reflect the will of people from their riding and not the will of the party or leader of the party.
• DAD Canada Representatives would be responsible for their decisions only to the community that they represent, and not to the party leader. Only the local DAD Canada organization could dismiss its Representative.
• The DAD Representative would mediate and moderate the decisions, by presenting to the members and community all the aspects and sides involved in the decision and defending the side or views of affected minorities.
• Direct Access Democracy would give the member option flexibility to vote "liberal" on a specific issue, "conservative" on other issue, "green" on another issue depending on their choice. The members would not be bound to a rigid party orientation.
• Vertical integration: Members of a local DAD Canada organization would be members in local, provincial (territorial) and national levels, integrating local, provincial and national solutions.

DAD Canada founder John Oprea is an entrepreneur and small business owner in Cambridge, Ontario. He says that he has developed his ideas "After years of studies and consultations with democracy experts from all over the world, and talking with ordinary people."

See also

• Direct democracy
• List of political parties in Canada

External link

Direct Access Democracy Canada website (http://www.wegovern.ca/)