Earth Government

The role of Earth Government should be to oversee member nations and act as the bestower of power to them. In the event of there being a difference or conflict, Earth Government should step in to unify and resolve issues. If at worst the situation does require the removal of power, it would have that ability.

What powers should Earth Government have over member nations? Take Canada as an example. What powers has the Governor General of Canada over the provinces, over any Canadian institutions or even over Canadians? Very little if any at all! The simple and clear power that the Governor General has is made more obvious during election time. Post an election a party taking office is given power to act initiated by the Governor General. On dissolving the 'parliament' for re-election the Governor General has right to assign power to the body it sees fit to govern as an interim government prior to election results. For most situations this is the operative process. However, another aspect of this power should be the ability to dissolve a government if it is found to be in breach of the constitution or if there is an unworkable deadlock in the legislative government. Those are the kind of limited powers Earth Government should have over member nations.

The office of the Governor General of Canada resembles better the powers of Earth Government more closely than does the US presidential role. The president has power over the bureaucracy whereas the Governor General does not. In simple terms, apart from the standard role of delegation of power to an incoming government and the return of that power prior to elections, the Governor General only has power to dissolve a government if there is seen to be unresolvable conflict in the chambers.

If we were to take these national aspects of our Canadian governing bodies and parallel them on the global scale, the body that would hold the global power would most probably be of global selection. The range of power would be limited to a range similar to our Governor General's powers. It should have no right to interfere in the United Nation's policy making but it would have the power to dissolve it if were found to be in breach of its constitution. Further, it could have the ability to dissolve the government of a nation for re-election if it were found to be in breach of a global constitution defining the bounds of harmless action between nations or within a nation.

Should the office of Earth Government be democratically elected or not?
An ideal presidential form of Earth Government should be objective and non-partisan. On electing any entity from within the nation it would inherently create a subjective form not an objective one, the latter being what we are striving to do. A global body would be less partisan than any individual or group within the nation itself. It is a necessity though, that the global constitution be defined to support a non-partisan and objective treatment of any situation that may arise.

The nations that have the greatest power at present would find it hardest to join Earth Government, as they would need to give over a part of that power. Hence it is best that less powerful nations such as ours, Canada, go about instigating it, to provide the path for others to join.

We, as Canadians, have the opportunity to implement the new definition of Earth Government such that Canada would move easily to this new global reality. Not only would we be supporting a global societal structure but Canada would also simplify the decision process we would have to go through.

We are in a position to show ourselves as a nation with heart and one with higher ideals. Often Canadians have proposed and promoted many higher ideals that have been implemented through the UN. We should continue in this role and provide initiative towards a higher principle being practically implemented.

Historically, the origins of the political philosophy which defined the structure of our Canadian system were brought about through the definition of the liberty of the individual within a society. The rights of the individual were that the sole end for which mankind are warranted, individually or collectively, in interfering with the liberty of action of any of their number, is self protection. The only purpose for which power can be rightfully exercised over any member of a civilised community, against his will is to prevent harm to others. His own good, either physical or moral, is not sufficient warrant. The only part of the conduct of any one, for which he is amenable to society, is that which concerns others. Hence the use of the:

• Scale of Human and Earth Rights,
• Charter of the Global Community,
• Criteria for becoming Global Community citizens, and
• Statement of Rights and Responsibilities of Global Community citizens.

A point to be made here is that as a group of nations, at some point it is necessary for us to define a structure for this symbiotical relationship of nations beyond its current undefined status. We need to view the relation of the individual to the governing body. We can consider a symbiotical relationship as the microcosm. To view the same relationship on a macrocosmic level, we could see a nation as an individual and Earth Government as a governing body. Again, it is the symbiotical relationship between these two entities that is the key. The relationship between the national body and a global entity should inherently have the same qualities as that of the relationship of a person to the national body. The quality of the relationship is that of a symbiotical relationship.

The symbiotical relationship would be such that a member nation has absolute right of independence except when that it is in breach of the rights of another and causes harm to them. At that point only, does the Earth Government has right to exercise power to restrict the rights of the member nation.

In accepting this concept and that we have a group of nations, it would follow that at some point it is necessary to have a global sovereign entity that only has right to exercise power over a nation, if that nation is in breach of another nation's rights. The destruction of the global life-support systems is also included here as an action harmful to others.

A recommendation of the composition of Earth Council would be a small independent group appointed by Global Parliament. The resolution of matters brought to Earth Council would be by consensus, the method used is similar to that of the Sociocratic Method of Decision Making

As stated earlier, the role of Earth Government is to force a nation to re-election if it is found to be in breach of the rights of another nation or its own people. Earth Government should eventually be able to delegate the definition and application of its power to the triple structure of a basic democracy: Legislature, Judiciary and Executive.

Canada has an opportunity to be an example to other nations by:

1.    expressing a willingness to relinquish a part of our national sovereignty to a global body,
2.    encouraging the set up of the structure for Earth Government through the development of a global constitution and to allow and encourage willing nations to become involved in such a structure, and
3.    encouraging nations in a similar position to our own, who have recently gone through this process of separating from a monarchy or who are considering it, to include provision for this body in their own national constitution.

Canada could do this by way of a National Referendum on the Global Constitution. Our own Canadian Constitution would have to be amended during this process and eventually the new document ratified during a meeting of all federal, provincial and territory leaders.

Looking simply at the framework – the global constitution - to be set up for Earth Government, its purpose would be to:

1)     define the threshold upon which Earth Government may in any way impinge on the sovereignty of a nation:

a)     if it is seen to be truly harmful to its population,
b)     if it is seen to be infringing on the rights or freedom of another nation (assault or the destruction of the global life-support systems),

2)     define the simple bounds within which such Earth Government could act. A possibility presented above is that of being able to dissolve a government for re-election only where that government is deemed to be in breach of the global constitution.
3)     adopt global policies and strategies for proper Earth management. These would include many aspects shown here in the following table.

Agriculture Eradicating poverty Ecology of the new world World overpopulation The Kyoto Protocol Climate change adaptation Home and community development Settling of disputes between nations Reforming the WTO Global dialogue and participation Scale of Human and Earth Rights Societal sustainability Sound solutions for an equitable global sustainable development Youth participation Waste management Women rights and issues Teaching and education Certified Corporate Global Community Citizenship Cultural rights Environmental governance Spirituality and religion Global economy and trade Global cooperation and symbiotical relationships between communities and nations Genetics Earth rights Biological diversity Cities: power, rights and responsiblities Global governance Measuring sustainable development and well-being Alternative energies Global life-support systems protection Ecological resources The Global Community overall picture and assessment Recycling and biodegradability Forestry Abolition of weapons of mass destruction Global Community Citizenship Statement of rights and responsibilities Public health Corporate accountability and global ethics Universal health care Social and Human Development Conservation strategies Global sustainability Preventive actions against polluters Water resources

Peace movement Earth security Drinking water and clean air Primordial human and Earth rights Global tax Management of Earth resources Corporate social responsibility Restoration of the planet, our home Celebration of Life Day Global governance and Earth management New way of doing business in the world Reaching  out  to  the  Peoples Globa l rescues  and  emergencies Primordial Human and Earth Rights The Global Constitution and wars Member States Rights and Privileges Global  election Terrorism Financing the Global Parliament Global standards and codes Working conditions Global strategy on fresh waters Global transparency Trade and trade disputes Money trading and stocks Global social issues A shelter for every global citizen A global strategy for research and development The Global Constitution and racism Replacing currencies for plastics A global strategy for oceans Global Community Justice Network A global strategy for human resources Global food supplies Freedom, security, justice and democracy A global strategy for forests A global strategy on fishery Global fight against crime Global energy needs Racism, xenophobia and discrimination The same currency for all The compassionate global society Collecting the global tax Civil Law Asylum, immigration and border control Global Community Arrest Warrant A global agricultural strategy

The United Nations is a potential body to be involved in the formation of Earth Government. Because of the short falls of the United Nations in its current form we are putting forward several propositions for change within this body.

a)     Independence of the representatives within the chambers of the United Nations. They must be independent of the governments of the nations they are representing.
b)     Structural changes to the body of the United Nations include the:

• Formation of a Legislature, the Global Parliament (House of Elected Representatives from member nations, Senate)
• Structuring of an Executive body, the Earth Council (Cabinet Ministers selected by Global Parliament Representatives, Departments)
• Integration of the global Judiciary, the Earth Court of Justice, into the Global Community Justice Network

Global Parliament, the Legislature

It is the structure for the development of right social response. This is the mechanism for discerning right action relative to the law defined by Global Parliament.

The judiciary is not there to define a breach, but it is there to put to trial those who have been indicted as being in breach of laws originating from the power of Earth Government. As stated above, this power should eventually be further defined by Global Parliament, accepted by Earth Government, implemented by the bureaucracy and later referred to and refined by the Judiciary.

In order for the global judicial system to truly function, it must be recognised that it is structure to work on a global level. It is the nation first that is accountable for its actions, the individual/s involved are secondary. Without the recognition of Earth Government, the global Judiciary's purpose will not be so clear. The purpose of the global Judiciary should be to try the nation (or global corporation) for an alleged crime. On a ruling against the nation, it must be made to release for trial the individuals who instigated the harmful action. On release:

*     the individuals involved should then be processed individually through the court, and
*     power can then returned (via Earth Government) to the nation to enable a re-election/reformation of government.

Hence we see that the relation of Earth Government's delegation of rights is via the judiciary to carry out justice. The governing body of the nation needs to be held accountable such that any breach can be tried. Only if it refuses to relinquish power and be tried, can armed force be used to restrict the power of that governing body. Further, if a ruling is made against it and access to the individuals involved is denied, similar force can be used.

Earth Council, the Executive

To give examples of the kind of action to be made by Earth Government

A)     In the case of Serbia versus Croatia involving Slobadan Milosovich, the crime was not so much the individual actions - massacres - as it was the war. It was the nation Serbia that was committing the crime of war, although individuals were eventually held accountable for certain actions. In this case it was at a later date that the US used influence to get Serbia to indict the criminals. Rather than an individual nation initiating this, it should have originated as a dissolution of the government (an 'arrest'), by the power of Earth Government, enacted by Earth Council. Through trial and a ruling by the Earth Court of Justice of the nation carrying out a crime, the nation would have been sentenced to relinquish that part of it that was the initiator of the crime, the individuals responsible. On release of these, the nation would have been considered as having been brought to justice. A new parliament would then be allowed to convene. When given over to the Earth Court of Justice, those involved would be held accountable through the legal processes being set up at present.

B)     In the case of Zimbabwe, we would need to connect the action of Mugabe directly to the slaughter of the innocent. The case against that government should be simple – massacre has occurred in the nation – hence the power of the governing body should be withdrawn through dissolution of the government and an interim body put in place. This will allow investigation as to the source of the offending action and the key parties found to have instigated it then are able to be brought before the international courts. Again as outlined above force should be available to enact this if necessary.

C)     Indonesia in its current state would be well below the threshold of dissolution of government by the global body. Some of its territorial policies have in the past, been deplorable, but by such a constitution they should not be interfered with because it has changed government and at present it is not physically harming members of its population en masse or invading other territories. However, in 1975 with the invasion of East Timor, the global body would have been well within its bounds to threaten dissolution of the government if the Indonesian troops were not withdrawn. The government of the time would have been held accountable.

D)     In the case of Iraq a similar dissolution could have been carried out for its invasion of Kuwait as well as when clear evidence was found of the Iraqi government having bombed the Kurds and harmed the population between the Tigris and the Euphrates. It is a nation's harmful action, not its possession of arms that is operative.

E)     Looking at Rwanda and Burma the perpetrators of the murder and oppression that have been occurring are not easily identified from outside these countries. These examples show the need to indict the government for action that has occurred rather than wait on longer processes needed to offer reasonable proof to allow the indictment of individuals.