Democracy may be likened to beautiful architecture, for every part of the tracery and sculpture, supreme in its individuality, claims a permanent place on its own merit and then surrenders it to the entire composition, thereby enriching the whole and retrieving it from the tameness of mere qualitative perfection.
— Madame Chiang Kai-shek, First Lady of China, House of Commons, Ottawa, June 16, 1943
The Canadian Parliament combines the quest for the democratic perfection of the nation and the desire for its people’s active participation in the tasks of the state.
— Miguel de la Madrid, President of Mexico, House of Commons, Ottawa, May 8, 1984
We must use democratic means in our search for a democratic result.
— Nelson Mandela, House of Commons, Ottawa, June 18, 1990
Democratic societies require more than democratic governments.
— The Aga Khan, House of Commons, Ottawa, February 27, 2014
Democracy allows our most precious rights to find their fullest expression, enabling us, through the hard, painstaking work of citizenship, to continually make our countries better, to solve new challenges, to right past wrongs.
— Barack Obama, President of the United States, House of Commons, Ottawa, June 29, 2016