Dear Editor,
It is time we stopped letting platform promises be the only focus we encounter from those seeking election. It is time for us to question them directly on the fragility of democracy itself, and what they are going to do to revitalize it and re-engage Canadians.
Condemnation of other parties, demeaning political ads, deflection of questions to avoid answers, and offering answers without substance have become so wearing on thoughtful voters that they more and more feel only disdain towards political figures and election campaigns.
Winning at all costs wins nothing if we continue to erode our system through caustic conduct.
Let us during this current campaign take every opportunity to ask every candidate such questions as:
- What specific things you would do to regain trust and win Canadians back to feeling like they belong and are wanted in political process.
- What specific ideas do you have beyond the typical mailbox flyers we all get, to actually engage more effectively and personally with constituents?
In 2020 Journalist Patrick Chalmers wrote that if citizens don’t understand how our democracy works, we will never be able to fix it. What would you see as the key things people need to understand about the workings of our democracy, and what would you do on a local level to promote civic literacy?
Research shows that 2/3 of MP’s agree with the descriptor of House of Commons behaviour we see during Question Period as a “gong show”. What behaviours would you demonstrate in the House that would earn the respect of Sarnia-Lambton-Bkejwanong constituents, and what things would you do to promote better behaviour amongst other MP’s?
In essence, it is time that we all find ways to challenge candidates with questions about sustaining our democracy in the long term, not just about platform promises that might win votes for the moment. Otherwise, while we might still continue to vote, the hollowing out of democracy’s core…citizen participation…will continue.