I want to offer a contrast in two events from this last week…On the one hand a parliamentary page got up in the middle of a federal throne speech with a stop sign saying "Stop Harper" out of protest. She's 21 years old and was nearing the end of her 12 month stint as a page. Most politicians have commented that this was an inappropriate forum in which to make a protest, and the page has since been fired. Public commentary ranges from praise for her bravery to criticism concerning the inappropriateness of her actions. In an interview the 21 year old commented that she made the decision based on a comment from her father concerning her previous protests that she was wasting her time and wouldn't achieve anything by protesting. She thereby opted to take her protests to the next level.
Contrast that, on the other hand, with a blog post from Cariboo North MLA (BC) Bob Simpson outlining his disappointment over what could be his last day in the BC Provincial Legislature where several bills were passed in parliament without, in his opinion, anything approaching genuine debate, discussion, or consensus building. He notes that considerable issues of substance concerning first nation treaties, the budget, and other items were rammed through in a very short time frame.
It would seem that our democracy has devolved into two options, and both of them are extremes. At the smaller, less effective end of the scale, average citizens are relegated to trying to affect change through protest. And at the other end are the mainstream parties whose support is derived from either unions or large corporate blocks pushing through whatever change they want with little to no debate. Where's the middle ground? Where's the reasonable conversation and consultation with the citizens who pay the taxes and live out our lives in communities throughout BC?
No comments:
Post a Comment