Ottawa Off the Radar
by Shauna Sylvester
Fellow, Morris J. Wosk Centre for Dialogue (SFU); Director, Canada's World.
- First Posted: Jun 15 2009 08:39 AM
- Updated: about 1 year
The federal government is becoming increasingly irrelevant to young Canadians. To re-engage them, politicians should demonstrate leadership and build movements that extend beyond Ottawa.
I’ve just returned from another trek to Ottawa. If you are from outside the golden triangle (Ottawa, Montreal, and Toronto) you probably know the trek well. Generally condensed into three or four days (so that you can still get home to catch your daughter’s dance recital or soccer game), the trek involves weaving every 60 minutes between government buildings, coffee shops and Parliament Hill to meet MPs, Senators, political advisors and government officials.
As a British Columbian who has worked for 25 years on issues that fall largely within “federal jurisdiction,” I have come to know the Ottawa trek well. I’m by no means an Ottawa insider – quite the opposite in fact. I’m an Ottawa outsider, in search of the golden pen – the men and women (men mostly) who are fleshing out the words and deeds that shape this country’s policies.
As I returned from this latest trek, I wondered how much longer such visits would be necessary. I used to think that Ottawa was the major locus of power for this country, but that power has dwindled as new players and new arenas emerge.
Over the years, I have traveled from coast-to-coast-to coast consulting with Canadians on issues as varied as forestry, AIDS, charities, democracy and Canadian foreign policy. It wasn’t until my recent forays that I began to hear a shift in the tone and attitude towards our nation’s capital.
I was surprised during our Canada’s World dialogue tour this year to learn that the federal government is rather irrelevant to most Canadians we consulted. As a Vancouverite, I know that Ottawa is a quaint city east of the Rockies that is barely mentioned around a dinner table conversation – but I always thought this disregard for all things federal was a peculiarity of living on the west coast. I didn’t realize this attitude was so widely shared by fellow citizens in the rest of the country.
Over and over again, I heard Canadians express their lack of interest in federal politics, their disinterest in the federal election and their resolve that any effort to become engaged with federal political parties was frivolous. While they expressed dismay at declining national standards, confusion about Canada’s role in Afghanistan, fear about the impact of the economic crisis, concern about climate change, they did not see their federal government providing leadership in addressing these concerns. In our Canada’s World surveys, citizens ranked the federal government last – behind non-government organizations, individuals and businesses – as a positive actor in international affairs.
In some cases the views went from apathy to clear and articulate critiques of the relevance of the federal government. On my most recent trek, a young scholar I mentor from UBC said to me, “I’m glad you convinced me to do an internship in Ottawa. I always thought the federal government was something you had to work around.”
Her words mirrored what so many other young people have expressed to me: They aren’t interested in working with the federal government because they don’t believe it is a trusted or “useful” partner. They don’t vote because they don’t see the leaders addressing the issues they care about. And they don’t join political parties because they can’t find a party that speaks to them. Many young people would rather go out and "be the change" they want to see in the world and leave voting and governing to those who can bear the political mud-slinging, the empty rhetoric and the glacial speed of policy change.
At some level, I understand the criticisms of young people and of other Canadians who prefer to tune out the federal government. But, at another level, I’m deeply troubled. Not only does it show a lack of understanding of the role of the federal government, but it shows a lack of interest in (or disgust with) our form of democracy.
While I think most Canadians want a federal government that sets national standards, promotes Canadian interests, values and assets in the global arena and provides leadership in addressing the social and environmental challenges we face as a nation, these young people have willingly forfeited their role in trying to mandate the government to perform these functions.
It’s like we are caught in a negative feedback spiral.
The government is reluctant to play a strong leadership role, they aren’t engaging citizens in the policy process and they aren’t effectively communicating what policies they have developed. Add to this a fragmented media environment, provincial governments picking at national standards to advance their own interests, myriad new actors carving into activities formally stewarded by the federal government, and an apathetic or hostile voter base and what you have is the perfect recipe for a country in democratic decline.
So what are the solutions? Americans have found a Barack Obama to rekindle their interests in Washington, but can such a charismatic leader emerge in Canada? We may need to look for some made-in-Canada solutions, perhaps taking a page from Tommy Douglas, the Japanese Redress Movement, Preston Manning, environmental activists, Romeo Dallaire and others who have shown that political culture and political meaning can change when people demonstrate leadership and build movements that extend beyond Ottawa.
Perhaps it’s time to reverse the flow of traffic into Ottawa and take the government officials, MPs and Senators on a cross-Canada trek. I would be pleased to host them for a conversation around my dinner table in Vancouver. It couldn’t hurt and who knows, maybe after an hour or two of engaged conversation, my friends would be able to locate our nation’s capital on a map again.
Comments
Re:Marks
“ An interesting article. I live in Ottawa but like most people that live here I do not work for the Feds. I found your statements, or should I say speculations, interesting. For most of us that live here the Feds are a definite reality that does rather get in the way of the rest of life. Ottawa gets less funding for anything. The "temporary" population that the Feds create don't contribute much to the city and generally just decry it. Although a lot of Temps do end up living here permanently. I really think that maybe before you take all those folks on a Cross Canada Trek you should take them on a Cross Ottawa Trek. You would find pretty much every sort of Canadian here. (The largest Inuit population out of the north, about 10,000 Somali refugees and immigrants, etc.) Maybe you should trek along with them and show them that their backyard is microcosm of Canada. So sure: take them across the country. But start here. You could help stop people perceiving Ottawa as irrelevant simply by seeing that micrcosm yourself. (Have you even been east of the Rideau?) However keep up the good work. Geoff Derry (former Canada's World participant.)
Geoffrey Derry
“ Interesting article, and one that resonates well with the times. I liked in particular your suggestion that government officials, MPs and Senators need to get out of Ottawa in into our town halls and living rooms. For example, I think that any Ottawa leader who professes to be in a position to make decisions about First Nations must first live for... Read More a month on a reserve. Yes, a full month. And not just MPs in their home ridings, either. Lack of real contact with real people puts our leadership into a bubble, where the only people they ever talk to are political or legal strategists, or lobbyists. We are blessed with a pretty good MP in our riding. I'd like to see more than just MPs visiting, however - I'd like to see high-ranking bureaucrats, lobbiers, and other Ottawa denizens get out of their bubble-wrap, out of their comfort zone, and into the kitchens and backyards.
Russell Collier
“ You are getting at something really interesting and important here, which I have been struck by as well: the paradox of a resolutely internationalist youth cohort that regards the federal government as at best an inconvenience, and at worst a hindrance to any sort of constructive world role. It is important to think about how/whether this cycle can be arrested and some form of collective re-engagement encouraged. David Black
David Black
“ Shauna, your observations are insightful. In the southern Alberta riding of Calgary West, we are finding the same level of disengagement. And, it's not just young people who feel disconnected from federal politics! Since January, a grassroots initiative has been connecting with people who live in the riding of Calgary West. Our motivation is to encourage people to better understand the process of politics, the potential for democracy, and re-engage with federal political life (or in the case of youth, to connect for the first time). We have been listening to people, in their homes and communities, for six months now. Once we get through the anguish and frustrtion, the messages are powerful and clear. There is a great potential if we can re-engage people across Canada in understanding, defining and participating in their role (rights and responsibilites) as Canadians. Your suggestion - to think about federal political life as something that doesn't just happen in Ottawa-- is brilliant. Check out our website at www.ourcalgarywest.com. We invite ideas. We know it's up to the residents of our community to do the work that is needed to be done to enliven democracy in our own community. But, we have our ears open to what works across Canada. Donna Kennedy-Glans, Calgary West
Donna Kennedy-Glans
“ Thank you so much for writing this interesting article. I think about this issue a lot and think that your observations are dead on. You are right about us being in a vicious cycle where the government is irresponsive to citizens but citizens do not use the system to fight for change. I think that the significant apathy that Canadians have about the federal government directly relates to our diminishing international clout and our lack of a concrete foreign policy since politicians are not pressured to act internationally. Your idea of a cross Canada trek is an excellent one and would enable policy makers to reach a greater sample of citizens. It would also give federal politicians the opportunity to explain how this country’s democratic system works. Canada is a highly decentralized country and while the provinces love to complain, they are incredibly powerful units and always will be. Yet like every other country in the world, a national government is needed and ours should better spread its resources across the country. Also, while there are many alternative avenues in Canada to address concerns and fight for change I would argue that nowadays these avenues are all interconnected and to ignore all the resources that the government of Canada has at its disposal is troubling. I think that Canadians need to take the time to better understand their country and learn more history. The Dominion Institute comes out with the same survey every year which show how poorly Canadian history is taught yet nothing is ever done about it. MPs come to Ottawa to defend and work for their regions and to develop and promote national standards. While I acknowledge that federal funds are kind to the city, the perception that the government only “works for Ottawa” is incredibly false. Often the city gets less funding to show Canadians that the federal government does not favour the “centre.” Hopefully one day Ottawa will be seen as a proud capital city that tries to represent the people of Canada, not a useless government cash cow which is highly resented nationwide. Anyways I could go on but thank you for you the article and for the work that Canada’s World does. Having this type of organization in Vancouver shows how federal areas of responsibility can be spread across the country to engage the greatest number of Canadians. We are an amazing country from coast to coast to coast, let’s celebrate it!
Gordon Nelson
“ I don't know if disengagement is with federal politics, or politics generally. Note that the BC voter turnout in the 2008 federal election was 61 per cent, less than previous years, but significantly more than the 50 per cent or so who voted in the 2009 provincial election.
Neale Adams