Sleepwalking into an Election

The alienation of Canadians from their political institutions can only end in disaster.

So, Canadian politicians, are you prepared to fight a spring election on the issue of democracy? What’s that? No? Ah well, that’s a shame but hardly a surprise.

After a tough couple of weeks for the federal Tories, election fever is finally in the air. But all the noise we’re currently hearing about the shoddy shape of Canadian democracy is almost certainly going to be drowned out by continuing economic woes, Conservative hysteria over crime, and candidates bribing the electorate with their own money through promises of future spending.

So what happened in Ottawa over the last two weeks? Did the Tories suddenly outlive their welcome? Or are the polls correct, and their popularity is actually rising?

I’m sure it’s the latter. The people concerned with the state of Canadian democracy and abuses of Parliament are primarily Parliamentarians and journalists. The “Harper Government’s” track record has been one of unremitting hostility towards open democratic processes. But the issue simply has not resonated with the public.

Three recent polls from Ipsos-Reid have turned up discouraging results. In late February IR released a poll that showed 57 per cent of Canadians support Harper’s plan to build more prisons, despite the falling crime rate. The same poll also showed that 82 per cent thought the costs of that program should be made public knowledge – but I strongly suspect there is a lot more fervour behind the thought, “Keep my community safe!” than there is behind the idea, “I’d like a full accounting of that, please.”

Then, at the beginning of March, an IR poll came out showing that Harper was within striking distance of a majority: the Tories had 43 per cent support, and the Liberals had a measly 27 per cent. No doubt figures like these are best understood through the lens of yet another IR poll, this one released on March 17, showing that 59 per cent of Canadians remain completely unaware of the “In-and-Out” electoral financing scandal, and that only 24 per cent of Canadians thought it was an important story worth further investigation.

It seems that Canadians simply don’t have a sense of ownership of Parliament, or of Canadian democracy in general. And if the political system is alienating Canadians, then conversely the level of public disengagement is having a corrosive effect on Canadian politics. It is a feedback loop that can only end in disaster.

Otherwise how could Canadians support a Harper Government that is on the verge of being found in contempt of Parliament; that shut down Parliament twice merely to save its own skin; that displays the most appalling behaviour during question periods; that defies Parliamentary votes; that deliberately undermines Parliamentary committees (even publishing a secret ‘How-To’ guide for Conservative MPs); that interferes with the judiciary; that defies judicial rulings; that undermines and criticizes the civil service when it follows an apolitical course; that guts the national census; that arbitrarily exiles Canadian citizens without trial; that bans respected activists from entering the country; and that, last summer, turned the country’s largest city into a civil rights-free zone.

Sadly, the Ignatieff Liberals have done and said little to actually stand up for Canadian democracy. Two weeks ago, in a fundraising letter titled “Our Democracy is on the Line” the Liberals denounced the Conservatives’ ruthless uses and abuses of power, and they were right to do so. But the reality is that the Liberals’ record on democratic reform and engagement has for many years been one of neglect. Not since Pierre Trudeau created the Charter of Rights and Freedoms 30 years ago have we seen the organization that styles itself Canada’s “Natural Governing Party” do anything meaningful to further Canadian democracy.

In fact, I had a disappointing encounter with Michael Ignatieff – now the indignant defender of democracy – about this very subject. At a public meeting in North Toronto last October, I asked Ignatieff what the Liberals would do for Canadian democracy. He hemmed and hawed, and became quite inarticulate. Faced with a direct question, he had nothing to say about improving civic engagement, and instead rattled on for some time about electoral reform – revealing how painfully little he understood about the topic.

The New Democrats have a better record in this area, but it is still far from stellar. Provincial NDP governments have never made a move to institute proportional representation (PR). In 2003, then brand-new federal leader Jack Layton made PR a key plank in his platform, and also made it a condition of his support for any minority government. One Liberal and two Tory minorities later, that has not proven to be the case. On March 3, 2011, Hamilton Centre NDP MP David Christopherson moved a motion in the House of Commons to have a referendum to abolish the Senate, and to appoint a special parliamentary committee to make recommendations for the implementation of PR. Better late than never.

Improving both the spirit and the system of democracy is not rocket science. There are a number of steps that the next government can easily take: create the position of an appointments commissioner to take patronage powers out of the hands of the prime minister; reduce the size and budget of the PMO; reform question period; create a Ministry of Democratic Citizenship; and launch a ParticipACTION-style campaign to encourage public engagement. Is it too much to ask that our democracy work for its own continuance?

As we teeter on the edge of an election, we need to ask ourselves whether Stephen Harper has done anything to improve our democracy. The answer is clearly no. The Tories have not only neglected Canadian democracy, but they have also actively attacked it. They have abused parliament and turned the government into an impenetrable fortress of secret information. And, in Toronto last June, they unleashed state violence against thousands of men and women simply because they spoke their minds.

The Tories’ secrecy, focus on punishment, questionable military expenditures, and dismissal of Canadian’s civil rights clearly show what direction we’re headed. And while it would not be accurate to call them fascists – as some do – there is no doubt that, in the relentless pursuit of ever more power, the Harper Conservatives have marched us several steps down the road towards authoritarianism. It’s time for an about-face.