Hybrid democracy and the corporate challenge

A recent international poll indicated that only 36 per cent of Canadians believe their country is "governed by the will of the people." This may seem cynical on the part of our fellow citizens; however, it reflects reality. We often pretend we have a democracy in this country, but of course we don't. Our political system is a hybrid, part democracy, yes, but also part plutocracy. Whether the ratio is 36/64 or something closer to 50/50 is hard to say, but plutocracy certainly has an edge.

First, almost all of our mass media is owned and controlled by the corporate sector. The only independent mass medium, at least of national scope, is the CBC. Second, the corporate sector contributes substantially to the coffers of political parties. And third, the corporate sector dominates the economy, increasingly so in a globalizing world. Control of the mass media alone would provide the plutocracy with disproportionate power and when it is also a major influence in elections and the major influence in governmentss economic decision-making, the democratic component of the system is rather over-shadowed.

Indeed, the great challenge of democracy in the 21st century is dealing with the excessive and increasing power of corporations. Not an easy task when they have the big bucks.