A Great Example Of The Power of Citizens in Democracy
Yesterday, Canadians were reminded of just how much power they have as voters in a democratic society. At the beginning of the day, the news broke out that two national parties – specifically the PC and NDP parties – were forcing television networks to exclude Green Party leader Elizabeth May from the upcoming leadership debates for this year’s federal election. The reason provided by Prime Minister Stephen Harper and NDP leader Jack Layton was that the arrangement between May and Liberal Party leader Stephan Dion to not run candidates in each other’s riding amounted to May being a closet Liberal supporter and her presence at the leadership debates would give the Liberal party two voices for their platform. The PC and NDP leaders went so far as to threaten to boycott these debates if the networks dared to include May. As such, the consortium of networks that carry the debates had no choice but to tell May that she would not be given a place in the leadership debates to present her party’s platform to the voting public.
As the day progressed and news of this exclusion of May from the debates seeped into the public conscious, something wonderful happened – the public got angry. Very angry. And with good reason – the very idea that leaders from political parties would dare to limit what voices can be heard during a political debate concerning the leadership of the country goes against the very concept of democracy. The fact that this was done behind closed doors no less is all the more disturbing, with the sad irony that it was a collaboration between the right-wing and left-wing parties that tried to get away with such a manipulation of the democratic process. Prime Minister Harper even went so far as to tell reporters at one of his campaigning pit-stops that he would no longer comment on the issue as he had already issued a statement on it. That only served as more fuel for the fire for if ever there was a time a politician needs to explain their position to their constituents, it’s during the middle of an election campaign.
And so, Canadians filled talk radio shows, blogs and TV newscasts with their anger and outrage over this obvious violation of democratic principles and by the end of the day, both Layton and Harper ended up backing away from their positions against May’s inclusion and now, the Green Party leader will be given the chance to address the voting public alongside the other national parties. While it will be interesting to see what fallout the PC and NDP incur because of this incident come the October elections, I must admit I still find the arrangement between May and Dion to not run candidates in each others riding disturbing – after all, closed door agreements between political parties during an election campaign is not something anyone should take lightly. Of course, it is encouraging to know that May will now have a chance to address the Canadian public about her party and their platform during the leadership debates since I’m sure the other parties will use the opportunity to force Dion and May explain their arrangement to the public. Such an situation will benefit the Canadian voting base as it will allow them to make an informed decision regarding each of the political parties vying for their votes this October. That alone makes this development a very good and healthy one for Canadian democracy.
Today, May has cheered this development as being the “grassroots power of the people” and indeed, she is correct. After all, if the public hadn’t raised their voices in anger over this news, it’s clear that May’s exclusion would have gone on without retribution and with the obvious message being sent to politicians that the restriction of opposing and/or divergent voices from the Canadian political scene would be tolerated by their citizenry. Regardless of whether one supports or agrees with the Green Party platform, it was important for Canadians to rise up against this censorship and make it understood that the manipulation of democracy would not be tolerated. And this was all accomplished over the period of one day. Hopefully, all citizens living in democratic countries realize this power they harness to effect change, real change and not simply words denoting the idea of it. It’s easy to dismiss our political systems as being overrun by lobbyists, special-interest groups and corporations. And yet, if we don’t take to the proverbial streets and let our positions be known to those who are supposed to serve us, then how can we ever expect things to change or improve.
Yesterday’s development on the Canadian 2008 election campaign trail is a great reminder of the true power behind the democratic notion of one person, one vote. We as a society just need to care enough to act on that right if we really want to see the changes we desire for our respective country and with it, our impact on the world around us.
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The topic of health care in the 2008 U.S. presidential election is one that is high on the minds of Americans. However, while most people are well aware of the immense challenges facing our health system (rising costs of medical care, malpractice, high prescription drug costs, medical bankruptcies, employers dropping coverage, 47 million uninsured Americans, etc.), they have less understanding of the specific solutions proposed by Senators Obama and McCain.
We invite you to write a post about the topic of health care in ’08. There are clear policy differences between the Obama and McCain plans, who come from two differing philosophies on health care reform.
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HealthDecision ’08 will provide you with much of the primary research with which to form a post. In addition, we provide you with links to third-party election coverage from Health08.org, NPR, The New England Journal of Medicine, NY Times, National Journal, U.S. News, WebMD and many other sites, that may serve as supplemental information sources.
I hope you’ll join us in our effort to raise voter understanding on this very important issue. We hope that you will use our information, and also link your readers to our site in order to have their voices heard.
Thank you.
Thanks, Marjorie, for the vote of confidence in helping to raise voter knowledge of such important issues like health care. Indeed, I must admit that it seems that many people will once again base their choice of candidate less on substance and more on aesthetics and emotional appeal.
Regardless, that doesn’t mean we all shouldn’t try to get the information out there in hopes that some will read it and opt to make an informed decision when they go to the polls.