Do we really live in a Democracy? la deuxième partie

Listening to the Elections Canada radio ads had me pondering the state of democracy in Canada – assuming Canada can still be referred to as a democracy. A claim that strikes me as highly questionable when you give some thought to the matter.

Democracy is one of those either/or states, either it is or it isn’t. There is no such thing as a partial democracy. Either all the people have the right and ability to vote, the right and ability to run for office and the right and ability to vote for candidates of their choice – or you don’t have a democratic system.

The economic policies, actions, inactions and failure to address poverty and homelessness by the federal government have driven tens of thousands, perhaps even a hundred thousand plus Canadians onto the streets in an ever increasing tide of homelessness and poverty. Unknowable further tens of thousands (or again a hundred thousand plus) find themselves couch surfing etc. from place to place and are not in stable housing.

None of these thousands of dispossessed will be receiving voter information cards in the mail to tell them where to vote. If you go to your local polling station on Election Day they will want proof of address and proof of identity.

How do you provide proof you are living under a bridge, in a tent, in a park, in a field, under a tree et al?

We take having ID for granted, but for many of the disposed ID has long been lost and the only record of their ID is photocopies at Income Assistance. Others lack even that for proof of identity.

One person denied their right to vote is too many.

Our current Federal Election will see thousands, tens of thousands perhaps hundred(s) of thousands of the disposed disenfranchised.

How can Canada be called a Democracy when it has disenfranchised so many of its citizens?

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If you visit the Elections Canada website you will find the following statements:

“The right to be a candidate in a federal election is protected by the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The procedures and responsibilities are spelled out in the Canada Elections Act.”

“Unless specifically declared to be ineligible under section 65 of the Canada Elections Act, any person qualified as an elector may run for election.”

And yet the Canada Elections Act proceeds to do exactly that – deny me and others the right to run for Parliament.

The requirement that a $1,000.00 deposit be posted by all candidates denies those who are not wealthy enough to be able to spare $1,000.00 or backed by political parties their Charter right to run for election to Parliament. The requirement of an onerous deposit particularly discriminates against the dispossessed and poor, denying them their right to seek federal office.

The violation of rights does not end there. By denying a candidate the right to run for election, all those who would have voted for the candidate are denied their right to vote for the candidate of their choice.

Democracy is suppose to be about voting for the candidate of your choice, not being forced to vote for the candidate you dislike the least.

How can Canada be called a Democracy when citizens are denied their right to seek federal office, denying other citizens their right to vote for candidates they may want to choose by limiting those who can run for federal office?

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When we accept and allow thousands upon thousands of Canadian citizens to be disenfranchised;

When we accept and allow a significant portion of Canadian citizens to be denied the ability to exercise their right to seek office through imposed financial barriers;

When we accept and allow the choice of Canadian citizens as to who will represent them to be limited to a chosen few, the choice becoming that of who is least objectionable dislike;

We no longer have a democracy.

“The death of democracy is not likely to be an assassination from ambush. It will be a slow extinction from apathy, indifference, and undernourishment.”

Robert Maynard Hutchins

Do we really live in a Democracy?

The one thing you can say about our current election is it is indisputable proof that if we want to live in a Democracy and have good governance addressing the important issues and challenges facing Canada and Canadians, we must have Federal Electoral Reform.

OK – the one thing you can say beside the facts it is an unnecessary waste of taxpayers dollars (what else would expect from politicians than to fail to consider the effect of their actions on the people they are suppose to represent?) and in violation of the fixed election date law passed by the government that called the election (what else would you expect from politicians than to consider themselves above the laws of Canada?)

Citizens are being served garbage on a silver platter by all the federal parties. With apologies to anyone who makes silver platters, this is as apt a description of what politicians are trying to pass off as debate and discourse on which any semi-intelligent, semi-rational person could make an effective decision on who should be sent to Parliament to form a government.

At a time citizens need to decide who could (not would but could possibly) provide good government and effectively begin to clean up the mess our current and recent crops of politicians have strewn across all parts of Canada and abroad federal parties and politicians seem bent on demonstrating their complete lack of ability.

The very foundation of Democracy is informed consent of the governed. If citizens cannot make an informed choice and thus cannot give informed consent, the government is not democratically elected and the country (Canada) is not truly a democracy, even if politicians choose to label it a democracy in order to make ruling the population easier.

Slick – yes. Loud – yes. Full of empty promises, of politicians avoiding important issues and questions, of misleading statements, smoke and mirrors, half-truths, lack of debate and examination of reasoning/explanations, of sound bites – yes.

Substance to be able to make an informed judgment and thus grant informed consent – NO.

We look at China and decry the lack of democracy in China. But is there really any difference between Canada and China; between Canadians having to decide among 5 bad/unacceptable choices and Chinese having only one bad/unacceptable choice? Not in any meaningful way.

The choice Canadians need to focus on, should be struggling with, is not who will form the next government but how do we take back our country and turn it into a democracy in fact and function – not just in name.

“The ignorance of one voter in a democracy impairs the security of all.”

John F. Kennedy