Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound has the distinction of being higher than the national average in at least one thing. Two percent more of us voted in the federal election.
Locally, about half of that 61.9% of eligible voters chose the status quo. Whether that was because of the record of our local representative and belief in what he can do for us in the future, or because of trust in the sitting prime minister to look after our best interests, we'll never know.
This is what we do know. More than half of those who cast a ballot in Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound did not choose the Miller/Harper team. 62% of Canadians did not vote for Mr. Harper. And most disturbing of all, 41% of eligible Canadian voters did not vote at all – a record low.
We'll hear dozens of opinions on the subject of voter turnout over the next few weeks, and once again blame will be laid on the young, the apathetic, and the selfish. I'd like to posit that it may be the terrified, the angry and the frustrated that chose to stay at home this time.
Without question, Canadians knew they were being manipulated in the very calling of this election. Mr. Harper knew the North American economy was in difficulty and that in another year the heat might be unbearable, so he watched the polls and jumped through the first window of opportunity. After months of preparation and strategy, he then executed an extremely personal campaign.
Two things struck me about the Conservative platform in this election. The first was that it was subtitled “Stephen Harper's Plan for Canada” and it contained an extraordinary number of pictures of Mr. Harper – twenty-two. The 307 other individuals seeking to represent their neighbours on the Conservative side of the House were oddly invisible, as if only one person were really required to manage the country.
The second thing I noticed about the Conservative platform was that there was not a single mention of global warming, nor climate change. Not until page 22 did the word “environment” appear, and then it was in the same sentence as “our vast, untapped Arctic”.
Polls in 2007 and earlier this year indicated that issues of the environment and climate change had become leading issues for Canadians and a sizeable majority of Canadians would be willing to have the economy grow at a "significantly slower rate" to reduce global warming. These were never the issues the Conservatives, with their base in the tar sands, wanted to discuss in an election. By releasing their platform in the last few days of the campaign, they were able to capitalize on fears of financial instability and leave Canada's responsibility for the planet's future health right out of the picture.
Do Canadians see their vote as their power to send talented people to parliament to represent their interests and work on all the challenges that concern them - employment, health care, pensions, agriculture, environment, social services, war and economy?
Almost a million people voted for a Green platform, but when parliament resumes their views will remain unrepresented. Every Conservative supporter in Montreal and a quarter of a million Conservatives in Toronto remain similarly without a voice for their point of view. Over a million more Canadians voted for the NDP than the Bloc, yet the block holds thirteen more seats than the NDP today. How can this be representative democracy?
In the Toronto riding of Parkdale-High Park, voters had to choose between two highly-qualified, community leaders – Gerrard Kennedy, Liberal and Peggy Nash, NDP. In any system of proportional representation used by the vast majority of world democracies, these two experienced and respected individuals would have been high on their respective parties' list of candidates. Given the popular vote across the country, this morning both Mr. Kennedy and Ms. Nash would be packing their bags for Ottawa to put their talents to work on the serious issues that face every Canadian.
In most other democracies the vote of every single citizen is counted towards representation in the government. People do not have to choose between supporting a respected local candidate and a capable national leader who may be from a different party.
The Conservative party is unlikely to take the lead in reforming the electoral system while they still dream of the unfettered power of a majority. We must push the members of the opposition parties to move for proportional representation, not for their own benefit, but for ours.
Our neighbours, and our children, need to know their participation in democracy – their vote - makes a difference to their future.
Comments
We do indeed desperately
We do indeed desperately need electoral reform , mostly to wrest control from the PMO and political party flacks and put it back in the hands of those we elect – the MPs and MPPs. The exercise that Ontario just went through in trying to do that was perhaps one of the better and more democratic efforts to do so with its open citizens committee, public comments and debate. Unfortunately it got voted down mostly, in my view, because the established political partys chose to confuse, misinform the public and generally failed to support the hard won recommendation of the citizens committee. I believe we need this sort of initiative at the federal level but very much doubt it will be forthcoming without very strong pressure from the citizenry. The federal government tendered a contract to begin public consultations last year on "the challenges facing Canada's electoral system and democratic institutions'' , that process whilst fundamentally flawed in its “consultations” did produce a report but needless to say it has been simply “put on the shelf” and ignored.
As much as I have ranted about this subject, and other democratic reforms needed, on various forums in the last 2 years I am not expecting to see anything meaningful happen at the federal level in the foreseeable future. I will however keep on calling for it and writing about it, like yourself, in the hope that if enough of us voice our opinion thing will eventually change.