Epilogue - Democracy is Dead

Why do we pretend that democracy is alive and well in Canada, when we all know it is not?

One cannot help but be struck by the fact that control of our country is held in the hands of just a few individuals. These include the appointed Human Rights ideologues, who are determined to herd Canadians into required formation to fall in line with their special interest agenda. These individuals also include appointed supercilious judges who see themselves, not as impartial arbiters of complex legal issues, but rather as social engineers who have the power to force Canadians to conform to their own philosophical and ideological assumptions.

Not the least among these elitists is Prime Minister Chrétien who believes utterly in centralized control of government from the top down. His majority Liberal MPs are obedient soldiers who go though their paces on command. The Liberal Senators, who now dominate the Senate, are equally compliant. Consequently, both the House of Commons and the Senate are used for "show" only, in order to continue a pretense of democracy. Show Time in Parliament takes place in the House of Commons when the lights are on and the cameras rolling during Question Period, and, in the Senate, with the pomp and ceremony of the Speech from the Throne read by the appointed (politically correct) Governor General. But when the cameras and lights are turned off, scarcely an MP or Senator remains in their respective Chambers, except when so ordered by the Prime Minister. Why bother, when their presence is irrelevant? Parliament is a mere prop to provide legitimacy and background noise for the policies and appointments made solely by the Prime Minister and his inner circle of non-elected advisors.

It used to be said that Canada was a democracy on at least one day every five years - election day. Even this last grasp at democracy was deftly eliminated, effective May 31st , with the amendments to the Canadian Election Act. These amendments - cogently nicknamed "the gag law" - restrict "third parties," i.e., non political parties (i.e., individuals or special interest groups) across the country from spending money in excess of $150,000 during an election. This works out to be about $500 per constituency. If Third Party Funds are concentrated in just a few ridings, then only a maximum of $3,000 per riding is permitted. On the other hand, the political parties that run candidates in every riding may legally spend at least $12 million in a general election, not counting the millions allowed each individual candidate. There is no question that the purpose of this amendment is "to stifle independent voices at election time," as stated by Stephen Harper, head of the National Citizens Coalition. The latter organization successfully brought legal challenges on the basis of freedom of opinion and expression when previous governments tried to limit election spending in 1973 and 1984. Significantly, the court decisions to strike down the law were made by Alberta courts. This time, the Chrétien government is determined not to be outsmarted by any up-start westerners, and is considering a direct referral to the user-friendly Supreme Court of Canada which would pronounce on the law before the next federal election which is expected to occur within a year.

It seems that negative perceptions about our political processes are prevalent among Canadians. According to a survey, conducted in February and April by the Montreal-based Institute for Research of Public Policy (IRPP) and released at the end of July, Canadians are clamouring for electoral reform. They no longer want to be served by MPs who clap, bark and vote on cue. In the survey:

- 63% stated they believed they did not have any say in the government;
- 82% believed MPs should vote with their conscience rather than along party lines;
- 88% stated they believed money has great influence over election results;
- 49% expressed dissatisfaction with a first-past-the-post electoral system where the candidate with the most votes wins, even though more votes may have been cast against than for the candidate. As a result of this system, Prime Minister Chrétien formed a majority government with only 38% of the popular vote.
- 54% want a fixed date for elections, rather than election dates selected at the whim of the Prime Minister.

As an indication of how just unhappy and distrustful Canadians are about the political system, an astonishing - and disturbing - number of Canadians, (2:1) preferred that appointed courts to have to final say over legislation. It will take a concentrated will and concerted effort to bring Canadian democracy back to life.

It can be done, providing we elect MPs with a little backbone who will not be constantly looking over their shoulders fearing they have displeased their party leader and who refuse to be bought off by the perks of office, as payment for being a loyal and obedient soldier of the party.

Vote carefully!

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