Canada's Governance Is Only Going To Improve If ...
We elect individuals to represent constituencies not political parties!
Vote for Kenneth B. Thomson
Who Is Directing Government Policy?
Serving The Community
We need to elect individuals who represent their constituency and not a political party or an ideology.
We need to elect independent candidates. We need to stop voting for political parties which target their policies to serve the interests of key voting blocks such as Toronto and Montreal. They do not necessarily represent the interests of the people in their community and this is especially true for smaller and rural communities.
A Government That Solves Canadian Problems
The Goal
To elect representatives who are independent candidates who live in the constituency and will address the issues that come before parliament in a manner which is responsive to the interests of the people who live in their constituency. First and foremost, parliament needs to be focused on the well-being of Canadians. We have many long-term problems which are not being addressed because parliament prioritizes other issues.
Governance, Not Unending Politics
As a democracy we have elections from time to time. Those who take the time to vote choose representatives and as a result a government is formed which hopefully reflects the choice of the majority in the approach the government should be taking to solving the issues of the day and the long-term wellbeing of Canadians. Those who are elected, but who are not in the government, should assume the role of doing their best in ensuring that the government's policy initiatives are effective and fair.
But this is where those of our representatives not in the government are failing us. In between elections, the 'opposition' should not be dedicated to recontesting the last election. Unfortunately this has become the norm.
The role of the 'opposition' should be ensuring that government policy is implemented in a manner that best services the interests of Canadians generally and the people in their constituency specifically.
Enough! In between elections the focus has to be on good governance.
Some Initial Thoughts
We all have our own thoughts about the priorities and issues that we want addressed. We do not need someone telling us what we should be concerned about or how we should feel about this or that issue. We all, or most of us do, have our own concerns and our own opinions. Whether we are struggling to find adequate housing for ourselves or for our children or those amongst us who we witness struggling to survive on the street. Or feeding and clothing ourselves or those close to us. Or addressing our concerns about our future. Or any other concern that you feel the government should be addressing.
Let me know what is important to you and what you think should be done about it.
Being Proud Of Who We Are
Through the years that have brought us to this time in history, we have been subjected to manipulation by this or that special interest group. We have become timid in expressing our opinion about what is important to us. In someways we have become afraid to believe in our own self-worth.
Our thoughts and opinions do matter if we choose to be heard. As Canadians we have a history of self-dependence. We need to reclaim our believe in ourselves. Yours and my thoughts need to be taken in to account if we are going to continue to be a democratic nation.
How Should We Measure Government Policy
Right off, GDP is not a good measure of the appropriateness of government policy. The reality is that the benefits of increases in the GDP accrue to the few. And often times growth in GDP has negative consequences for the majority of Canadians. What do I mean?
A good place to start is by taking a 'big view'. We are born and die and what is in between is our life. Each and everyone of us should have an opportunity to choose how we live our life as far as possible while accommodating the interests of others. Our government should not narrow our opportunities, especially when doing so for the benefit of the few.
Good examples of where previous governments have implemented policies which have narrowed our opportunities are: the Avro Arrow; Northern Telecom; and the manufacturing of footwear. (Did you know that Canada used to be the second largest manufacturer of footwear in the world? Or the Avro Arrow had better performance characteristics than the American's F18? Or that Northern Telecom was a world leader in telecommunications products providing good paying employment for over 60,000 people in Canada?)
We have lost diversity in life opportunities as a result of misdirected government policy which served the interests of the few who profit by globalization.
We have to return to the basics. The appropriateness of government policy has to be measured by how well it allows Canadians to have a life of their choosing.
Government Priorities
Our government is making decisions about how our tax dollars are spent which often times prioritizes international concerns over Canadian concerns. Or adopts policies which benefit certain groups over the average Canadian's well-being. But why? And to what end?
Why are we subsidizing Israel when there are Canadians struggling to raise their children? Why are we bringing in 100s of thousands of immigrants annually when we cannot provide adequate housing for Canadians?
A good example of policies which benefit the few over the many is when the Conservative government of Brian Mulroney eliminated the Manufacturer's Tax and replaced the lost tax revenues with the GST. Now, the average Canadian is stuck with the bill for cleaning up after industrial activity whether that be environmental pollution or social displacement. Remember, corporations do not have to pay GST if their product is sold internationally and therefore, they avoid paying the true costs associated with their industry's activity.
What Are The Established Political Parties Offering Us?
The Conservative Party of Canada's platform is 'we hate Justin Trudeau'. And we support Pierre Poilevre for no other reason than he wants to become Prime Minister. Check it out. They forward no platform on how they will address the issues confronting Canadians. All they have to offer is negative campaigning. That is, they don't bother offering real solutions just criticisms of other parties which, in their opinion, have failed Canadians.
The New Democratic Party of Canada's platform is 'Ready for Better' but offers no specific policy positions to how they will make the average Canadian's life better.
The Liberal Party of Canada? The endless platitudes. One cannot argue against them but there has to be a point in time when something has been achieved. Programs that do not produce results only result in wasted tax dollars.
The Alternative To Political Parties
Canada is supposed to be a representative democracy. If we are truly going to be a representative democracy, then we need to have representatives who address the real issues that need a solution for their constituents.
Political parties have an important role to play in Canadian governance as far as they represent the interests of groups of Canadians which have common interests.
However, the reality is that political parties are controlled by those who occupy central roles in the party. And the consequence is that political parties are vulnerable to being easily controlled or influenced which results in large politically important blocks tending to have an over-sized say in government policy. Afterall, a political party only can become the government by catering to the interests of those politically important blocks.
The result, we oftentimes have minority governments which is a good thing. It means that the party forming the government has to accommodate the interests of others, which are usually represented by other political parties, in order to be able to govern.
But this does not work so well for constituencies like Cariboo - Prince George. The reality is that people living in our region have no true representation in the governance of Canada. A representative of a political party is obligated to accept and support the policies of the party they represent.
An independent representative may not always be able to determine a crucial vote, but at least an independent representative can freely express the interests of their constituents. Parliament was intended to give voice to all Canadians. By voting for an independent representative, the people living in constituencies such as ours at least have a voice in deciding government policy and priorities.
I Am Seeking Input
What are your thoughts as to where we are and where we should be headed?
As I created this website, I have an opportunity to express my thoughts which are presented in more detail in the following section 'Specific Issues". But anything I have to say is limited by my own life experiences and what I choose to focus on. I want to know your thoughts. Maybe there are issues that are of importance to you that I have not addressed. Let me know.
Provide me with your thoughts by using the 'Contact' section below.