This question is unclear; therefore, we answer it based on two different interpretations.
First Interpretation.
If we assume that this question relates to Alberta joining the United States, since reference was made to “getting behind a Republican Movement”, Alberta, as a Sovereign Constitutional Republic cannot really ”get behind” any political movement in another country. However, if the citizens in Alberta at some point in the future decided to hold a referendum on joining the US, the “will” of Albertans would then prevail. To be clear, that is not what APP is advocating. APP believes that a much brighter future for all Albertans can be realized in short order as an independent nation.
Second Interpretation.
Here we assume that the question relates to clarification of the difference between a “democracy” versus a “republic”. The critical difference between a democracy and a republic is that a democracy is a rule by the majority, whereas a republic is a rule by law.
The word “democracy” is a combination of the Greek words’ demos meaning “people,” and kratos meaning “government.” Thus, a democracy is “Government by the people.”
In a democracy, the majority gives authority to elected and appointed officials. The whims of parliament and bureaucrats determine the law. In this, laws are political, progressive, and subject to change based on the rule of the majority.
The word “republic” is of Latin origin and is a combination of the word’s res (meaning “interest”) and public, meaning “everybody.” Thus, “republic” means “In everyone’s interest.”
Unlike a democracy, the essence of a republic is a rule by law. The law is made in a democracy; the law is discovered in a republic. The rights of the individual, not the majority, are emphasized, protected, and maximized in a republic. Theoretically, a democratic government (a democracy) has unlimited power subject only to the majority will of the people. In a republic, the power of government is severely limited through the constitution and codified laws to ensure the bureaucracy can only engage in its limited, though critical, function of protecting rights.
Democracy has been described by Sir Winston Churchill as “The worst form of government, except for everything else” What Churchill left out was why he came to that conclusion. But it is clear and easy to understand. The problem with a democracy is the “tyranny of the majority over the minority”. Here, societal rights trump individual rights, as interpreted in Section 1 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The Charter should have stated that Individual Rights and Freedoms will always be paramount and unassailably protected by law in the Constitution.
Further, Alexander Tytler noted that “A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. A democracy will exist until the majority discovers that it can vote themselves largesse from the public treasury. From that point on, the majority always votes for the candidates who promise the most benefits from the public treasury, with the result that every democracy will finally collapse over loose fiscal policy, which is always followed by socialism/Marxism/communism and dictatorship”.
The APP is convinced Albertans are ready for a switch from a democracy to a republic. We do not believe this will take a generation, but rather, we believe it can happen right now! Our individual rights would not be restricted, but championed and upheld. Indeed, as we’ve endured a democratic government enacting emergency acts, lockdowns, and banking seizures, there has never been a more perfect opportunity to present a republic to the peoples of Alberta. (for more info on the differences between a republic and a democracy, see http://www.devvy.com/pdf/larosa/larosa_democracy_or_republic.pdf)