Globalization, Social Movements and Democracy in Canada.

Democracy may be the most influential form of political and social organization in the world today, yet the present globalization era has led civil society activists to question the resilience of democratic principles such as equality, pluralism, freedom, accountability and transparency in the face of an increasingly interdependent international trade regime. According to scholars in international relations (See Falk,1999; Keohane & Nye, 2000), comparative social movement theory (See Sholte,2002; Von Rooy,2004), and contemporary democratic theory(See Dyzek, 2000; McGrew, 2002), anti-globalization activists express this frustration primarily by seeking transnational democratic reform of the supranational institutions that challenge and truncate the ability of domestic political institutions to create independent national policy agendas. Yet the organized response to globalization suggests that movement ideology and behaviour is also fuelled by a palpable frustration with traditional forms of political participation and domestic political institutions. This frustration suggests the need for a closer examination of how democratic principles shape anti-globalization activists? attitudes and behaviour, and whether this has led to any distinctive innovations in democratic theory and practice. This paper will examine the manner in which the language of democratic principles and concepts are understood and present in anti-globalization social movement activity and discourse within Canada, where innovative democratic discursive and organizational innovation blossomed early on in response to the creation of the Canada-U.S. and the North American Free Trade Agreements (CUSFTA and NAFTA?See Ayres, 1998). To assist me in this task, my investigation will draw upon some textual analysis as well as a variety of primary materials ranging from activist pamphlets, independent media sources, online web sites and personal interviews. ..PAT.-Conference Proceeding [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]