What Inmates Can Teach Us About Election Debates

If prisoners in Washington state can carry out a civilized debate, why can't Canada's politicians?

It is clear that Canada does not have a coherent system to oversee debates during federal election campaigns. While Canadians vote for individual members of Parliament and not for a prime minister, debates provide an opportunity for us to watch our leaders interact on the issues and communicate their visions for the future of this country.

Whatever you think of the merits of including Green party Leader Elizabeth May in the upcoming debates or allowing for head-to-head contests, it is shocking that it is the members of the country’s broadcast consortium who get to shape this mechanism for democracy with no obligation to demonstrate how they arrived at their decision.

Check out The Mark’s full election coverage here.

The acceptability of the proposition that the economic interests of the Canadian media can be linked to the nature of democratic debates during an election should be a serious cause for concern. In an age of growing expectations about access to information and transparency, Canadian citizens appear unable to get a thorough explanation about the decision-making process that finalizes who gets to participate and what format the debates will take.

Of course, other networks are free to organize their own debates. This is a poor substitute for a consistent approach to debates and debating during federal elections in Canada, and our democracy demands more. Political debates serve as a means to showcase who knows what, and who has the ability to critically reflect and combine existing evidence and real-life experience into a vision for Canada that speaks to the electorate.

While reforms on how we decide who gets to participate are important, those interested in the process of the debates might also take this opportunity to consider what our debates mean and how they can best be organized.

For the last year and a half, I have been teaching philosophy to inmates in the Coyote Ridge Corrections Center in eastern Washington state. It is clear that there is no better way to reduce recidivism, save money, and cut crime than to support post-secondary education in prisons.

Debates are one of the most valuable teaching tools I use in my classes. While my approach varies by class, debates encourage critical thinking and allow students to demonstrate their understanding of a topic. As a pedagogic approach, debates can push students to not only justify their own opinions but acknowledge that other views also exist.

One of the first things we do in class is discuss what the rules of the debate should be. I have some basic requirements about time, format, and substance, but each class brings their own ideas to the table. After our first debate, we debrief it and tweak the format to better reflect the experience of the class.