RELATED LINKS & RESOURCES FOR TEACHERS
While not an exhaustive list, the following related links and resources may provide some relevant background information, educational content, classroom activities or tools to assist students in responding to the contest questions.
2023-24 Democracy & Me Art Contest Teacher’s Guide
Legislative Assembly of British Columbia
Democracy and Parliament Learning Resource: This booklet – available both online and in print format – provides an overview of the parliamentary system of government, the branches of government and the roles of elected representatives in Canada and British Columbia. Democracy and Parliament (English) La démocratie et le Parlement (French)
Discover Your Legislature: An online resource which offers students and the general public numerous insights into the Purpose, People, Place, and History of B.C.’s Legislative Assembly. Interesting facts, historical photographs, and dozens of videos highlight the unique nature of parliamentary democracy in our province, with all its content written in concise and plain language. Discover Your Legislature
Petitions: A fundamental concept of parliamentary democracy is the right of the public to have access to parliament by way of a petition. The following link provides more information about petitions, including the required format for petitions submitted to the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. Petitions
Elections BC
Elections BC, the non-partisan Office of the Legislature that administers electoral events, provides a range of educational resources including a Voter’s Guide for B.C. Provincial Elections, a B.C. electoral history timeline, information about women’s suffrage and videos about parliamentary democracy, voting rights and the voting process. Educational Resources
Outreach Kits: The Royal BC Museum partnered with Elections BC to develop Having a Voice: Voting Rights and Democracy in BC, an Outreach Kit designed to fit the Grade 5 Social Studies curriculum. The contents of the kit encourage students to use inquiry process skills to address participation and representation in BC politics, the electoral process and electoral boundaries. Outreach Kits are available for loan to BC schools. Having a Voice: Voting Rights and Democracy in BC
Canadian Library of Parliament
Our Country, Our Parliament Online Resource: Explore the Canadian Library of Parliament’s Our Country, Our Parliament online resource for background information, videos and activities about democracy, Canada’s system of government, the role of parliament and getting involved in the democratic process. The following sections may be particularly relevant to students as they consider their responses to the contest questions. Canada: The Road to Democracy Canada’s System of Government Parliament in Motion
CIVIX
Citizenship Education Resources: CIVIX is Canada’s leading civic education charity. In addition to running the Student Vote program, they provide citizenship education resources including online lesson plans, slide decks, videos, handouts and activity sheets. Citizenship Education Resources
The Samara Centre for Democracy
The Samara Centre for Democracy is a non-partisan charity dedicated to strengthening Canada’s democracy. The Samara Centre produces research focused principally on legislatures, political parties and citizen participation; provides online educational resources for teachers and students; and develops programming designed to engage Canadians in their democracy. The Samara Centre for Democracy