We the People

As Stephen Harper’s new minority government is ushered in, Canadians find themselves in the age old quandaryabout the ill-fitted electoral system that continues to serve us. In The Separatist Curve Ball, Joan Bryden maintains that PR (proportional representation) will become a hot topic in Canadian households again. Indeed, the current political climate and the abysmal voter turnout (of all demographics) are prime indicators that there is a dire need for informed debate within academia and the public sphere (and cafés).

My fascination with voting system reform truly unravelled when I took a course in Political Parties and Party Systems last January which in turn broadened my mind to a subfield that, until then, had gone unnoticed. The sexy areas of Political Science are mainly, International Relations, Comparative Politics (my area of study), and Political Economy. Today’s global stage is preoccupied with human security, trade, and globalization and our domestic politics are not, for the most part, newsworthy. We need to wake from our long slumber and talk to one another in order to eventually institute changes that are long overdue.

In addition, Canada’s current SMDP (Single-member district plurality) voting system (or First Past the Post) is gradually becoming antiquated. In a quick survey of the electoral system that European democracies employ, we will realise that the PR system promotes greater representation of the people (including women) which also translates to a significant improvement to voter turnout, and an overall better representation of smaller parties.

Two Solitudes

It was only a matter of time until the usurpers grabbed the throne. Well, no one should be shocked that the Conservatives won the elections considering the waning public morale and general mistrust that Harper and the other party leaders perpetuated during the election (now Canadians are on an equal footing with their American neighbours, at least). Despite winning, the Conservatives’ minority victory was far from the landslide that their cronies were promising. The next 12 to 18 months will tell if “the West is [really] in” or if this government will bear more of the same old, same old that we were accustomed to in the last minority government.

In his victory speech Stephen Harper declared that “the West was [finally] in”, echoing one of his less successful predecessors. In fact, the West is really Alberta, the land of oil, erratic premiers, and unrealistic surplus budgets (i.e. misdirected priorities). However, many Canadians have long felt that Quebec and Ontario manipulate the public arena while the other provinces are short-changed and constantly out of the loop. I would not disagree with the naysayers, but I would rather help bring my country closer together than further alienate anyone, this time the other end of the coast. In fact, there is a stark contrast between these polarizations because while the Liberals may have given in to Quebec’s repeated demands for increased fiscal independence and de-centralization, at least the Liberals maintained the social mores of the nation regardless of their own personal beliefs. On the other hand, I fail to see how Harper will lead this nation into prosperity and government accountability, and advocate the cultural mosaic that makes us a country, fully knowing his intentions, limitations, and agenda.

One of our fiery prime ministers, Pierre Elliot Trudeau, famously proclaimed: “The state has no business in the bedrooms of the nation” and more poignantly still: “Canada will be a strong country when Canadians of all provinces feel at home in all parts of the country, and when they feel that all Canada belongs to them.” Those words comfort me now in the face of indecision, lack of effective leadership, and all around reactionary values which will, I am afraid, be forced upon the Canadian public, sooner or later.