Blogging at the Big Dog

Last week, I had some pretty harsh words for our political leaders. My cynicism is born of frustration with a system that rewards power-seeking and encourages corruption. The first-past-the-post, winner-take-all model simply isn’t very democratic.

That’s not to say I don’t admire the men and women who stand for election. Elected public service is a noble calling not for the thin-skinned or faint-of-heart. And once the winners get to Ottawa, I don’t envy them the task at hand or the public scrutiny they’ll endure.

By the time this edition of The Times hits the newsstands, Canadians will be going to the polls and we’ll be well on our way to a new, probably minority, government.

Personally, I took advantage of the advance poll on Oct. 6 because of an Elections Canada SNAFU that would have meant going to Dysart to vote, but that’s an issue for another day.

I did something unusual this year. In the past, I’ve voted in a variety of different ways. I’ve voted strategically, to help stop an undesirable party from winning. I’ve voted for the candidate I thought was best in my riding, regardless of party. And I’ve given the nod to a candidate I didn’t like because of their party affiliation.

This time I voted for democracy, or, more specifically, democratic reform, by marking my ballot for the Greens. It was certainly not an endorsement of their environmental policy. I don’t think they, or anyone else, has a clue when in comes to climate change, but that too is an issue for another day.

The issue for today is proportional representation. Even if the Greens don’t elect a single MP this time, I am hoping my vote will be among a groundswell bumping their share of the popular vote thus sending a message of dissatisfaction with the status quo to Ottawa.

Indeed, the mere fact that in 2006 the Greens achieved almost five per cent of the popular vote and didn’t get a single seat should tell just about anyone there is a big problem with the system. That’s more than 664,000 Canadians who were not represented in the last Parliament.

The other tell-tale sign of a big problem with the system is that Canada is among only a handful of major democracies that haven’t already recognized proportional representation is fairer and results in more diverse representation; cleaner campaigns; and less influence by special interests. Governments elected by P.R. also tend to be more responsive, cooperative and transparent.

Proportional representation is the evolution of democracy and only the truly stubborn (Canada, The United States, Great Britain) refuse to see it.

The big knock on P.R. systems is, of course, government instability because virtually every election results in some kind of ad-hoc coalition. This criticism is generally fear-mongering by the those who have a major stake (Liberals and Conservatives) in maintaining the cronyism that has characterized Canadian governments since confederation.

That’s not to say P.R. doesn’t have its own warts, but even with its problems, it’s better than what we’ve got and we’re halfway there already. Eight of the last 17 Parliaments have been minority governments. Once politicians get used to the idea of working together, maybe they’ll finally get down to doing the job without all the partisan bickering.

Psst, Liberal Party, your desperation is showing.

Last week, Canada’s second (or is it third now? fourth?) party, trumped up a five-year-old plagiarism charge against Stephen Harper. I say trumped up because, in the first place, the guy doesn’t even write his own speeches. Secondly, I’m not entirely sure what this “big revelation” was supposed to demonstrate. That the Prime Minister sometimes struggles to engage in original thought? Puh-leeze, tell us something we didn’t already know.

In any event, PMO staffer Owen Lippert immediately fell on his pen to shield his boss and, despite a flurry of international media coverage, the story was quickly ash-canned as yet another Liberal gaff and was rightfully relegated to voters’ lists of “who gives a crap?” moments in an otherwise forgettable campaign long on rhetoric and short on ideas.

Really, is this the best the party of Mackenzie King, Pearson and Trudeau can come up with these days?

It would be laughable if not for the fact that the only real alternative — four more years of Harper’s knee-jerk pandering to special interests — isn’t much of a choice at all. Mr. Layton, of course, would like us to think the NDP matters, but outside the GTA, it has simply become yet another centre-left party bleeding votes from others who might actually have a chance to challenge the neo-Cons. And when are the Greens going to get it over with and pop the big question to the Grits? They’re already living common-law, why not make it official?

Is it any wonder a recent poll indicated 15 per cent of Canadians would rather vote in the election going on south of the border? At least our U.S. counterparts have a clear choice. It’s a classic battle between good and evil (although it depends on which side of the stupidity line American voters stand as to whether they see McCain/Palin or Obama/Biden wearing the white hats).

The point is, it is a seriously discouraging time in Canadian democracy when nearly one-in -six voters cares more about a foreign election than our own. And who can blame them? The Canadian campaign is starting to remind me of a Three Stooges flick with Stephane Dion, Jack Layton and Elizabeth May bumbling over one another trying to poke Harper in the eyes.

The Conservatives should be able to put this one on cruise control to bring it home.

As if we didn’t already have enough reasons not to care about the local race back here in good ol’ Regina-Qu’Appelle. In Western Canada we’re used to elections being over by the time they reach the Ontario-Manitoba border, but at least we should be able to look forward to a good, old-fashioned scrap at home. Unfortunately, despite the cheap perfume of election-induced bravado, whatsisname, whatsisname and whatsername are already starting to look like also-rans to Conservative incumbent Andrew Scheer.

At this point I hardly care. Call me idealistic, pessimistic or just plain disillusioned, but I want more from our leaders than the petty attempts at political hay-making last week’s plagiarism accusation, in particular, and this election, in general, is giving us.

Unfortunately, I don’t think we’re going to get any different until we stand up and demand better.