For my second column, I thought I’d tackle a nice light topic:  Canadian democracy. 

Let me start by professing my undying support and love for our country and its democratic institutions.  Canada is the greatest country in the world; arguably the worlds greatest democracy and we who call ourselves Canadian citizens are the luckiest people in the world.

But when it comes to our election campaigns, we deserve better.
We deserve better political discourse and debate.
We deserve better media coverage of politics.
We deserve to not be treated as children when it comes to public policy debates.

This really hit home when watching the shamble of a federal leaders debate last week. The most consequential decision voters make in an election is their choice for leader of our country and the leaders’ debate is the best opportunity for voters to see those leaders, unfiltered (more or less) by media coverage, in a pressure-packed environment.  And yet, we only give each leader more or less 20 minutes of airtime to do it (2 hour debate; 6 leaders).  If you’re lucky enough to be bilingual, you get to double this time examining the candidates.  To make matters worse, the debate happened in Gatineau, across the river from Ottawa – a city so isolated from the rest of Canada and so lacking in self-awareness of this fact, it’s tragic and comical all at once. 

Furthermore, in the debates last week, we were subjected to a frustrating format that didn’t even cover the major things we look to our federal government to provide:  national security; international trade and foreign affairs; criminal justice and safety; economic stewardship. Instead, the first question (literally!) covered Maxime Bernier’s twitter history.  The big topics were ignored, presumably because the moderators thought we weren’t smart enough to understand them.

We can do better.  In fact, we MUST do better. 

I think Canada needs at least five nationally televised debates that cover the major topics and recognizes the regional complexities of Canada. 

In my ideal world … I would love to see a debate in Western Canada on the topic of international relations, especially as Canada turns an eye toward Asia. 

A debate in Northern Canada on Indigenous issues, the environment and natural resources would be welcomed by all Canadians, not just those in the North.

A debate in southern Ontario on urban issues like transit and the transition of our economy from heavy manufacturing to knowledge industries would give Canadians a real sense of whether our leaders have a vision for the future economy.

A debate in Quebec on issues of language, culture, inter-provincial trade and federal/provincial cooperation would be a dream. 

And finally, a debate in Atlantic Canada on issues affecting those provinces, plus important conversations on criminal justice, national security and defense policy would be both important, but also make for compelling viewing (at least to political nerds like me). 

At the local level, I believe local candidates should show up at debates as well … on one condition.  The audience can’t be filled with partisans and cheerleaders.  Genuinely interested, engaged and undecided only. 

Local debates are a waste of time when the only people in the audience are partisan supporters or people there just to play “gotcha” with the candidate they don’t like.  And I’m sorry, but democracy is not better served when fringe candidates are given equal time in the interests of “fairness”.  I don’t need to hear from the local Communist party candidate at a local debate. I want to hear from the candidates who have an actual chance of winning and I want to hear them go head-to-head speaking from the heart.  If the fringe candidates want to hold their own event next door, God bless … go to it. 

And finally, my most important point:  To get better democracy, don’t wait for the institutions of democracy to fix it.  Citizens need to show up and do it themselves!

I’m tired of people who bitch and complain about the quality of the politicians who represent them, but refuse to join a party and nominate “better” candidates. If you want better politicians, vote for them! 

If you want better political discourse, demand it by doing a bit of research yourself, and asking better questions of your representatives.  Can’t tell you how many doors I’ve knocked on in support of one candidate or another and asked: “What concerns you?” only to receive blank stares and mumbles about how they “don’t really follow politics”.  Hey, 40 – 50% of your paycheque is going to government … time to pay attention! 

And if you want media to hold politicians to account, buy newspapers and subscribe to publications that invest in their journalists.

Most importantly, if you want a better democracy – show up and vote, but please, for the love of our country, be an informed voter.

Vote! 

Mike Ras is a keen observer of public policy, politics and media. For his day job, he’s director of government relations with a prominent Canadian financial institution. A resident of Mississauga, part-time “professor” in the Government Relations program at Seneca College and an active volunteer with a number of local charities.
Connect with him on Twitter here.