To be an effective participant in government, you must be an informed participant. People often complain that government is secretive, that it rushes through ill-considered legislative changes, that it doesn’t consult enough. Yet there is ample evidence to show that even when governments consult, even when there is massive media coverage about public issues, the vast majority of Canadians remain blissfully unaware. The sad reality is that most Canadians pay far too little attention to the activities of their governments. We can be roused on particular issues, especially when we feel personally threatened, but a sustaining interest is much more difficult to achieve. Yet most of us find time to keep track of the daily sports scores and to exchange comments about our favourite reality show on television from the night before. If you want reality, why not go for the real thing? It takes no more time or energy to keep track of the activities of our governments and it is hard to imagine a more important way to spend our time in a democratic society. Imagine the difference it could make if most people redirected the energy they expend in complaining about government into becoming informed about government.
But becoming informed involves more than accepting at face value whatever version of events may be presented by the newspaper you happen to read or the news show you watch. At the very least, you owe it to yourself to consult a variety of sources to gain insight into an issue. The fact that many sources of information are biased can be quite helpful – provided that you are aware of such biases and offset them with competing points of view. I used to advise students in my government courses to read the Toronto Star and the National Post and to look at publications from the Fraser Institute and the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, and they would find the truth somewhere in between, or at least a middle ground on the issues under discussion.
Today, of course, traditional media outlets (and especially newspapers) have lost much of their audience to social media, with its immediacy and dramatic content. This shift does not bode well for democracy which, according to a recent report on “Democracy in the Digital Age,” requires sober attention to political matters. But the public increasingly prefers “clickbait” – that is, sensationalism, scandal, sentimentality, and novelty. As I have written elsewhere, you need to be wary of the seductive lure of websites that reflect your perspective on issues. The more your presence on the Internet is associated with particular points of view, the more you are automatically directed to similar information when you use a search engine (which for most of us is Google). In one experiment, a liberal, a conservative, and a moderate were all asked to use the same search term on the Internet. When they entered that term in Google, all three were taken to different sources of information that reflected their perceived preferences. The result, over time, is that we end up in a self-perpetuating bubble of our biases.
Be a Participant
Knowledge is power, if it is used. Don’t hesitate to contact your MP, MLA, or municipal councillor about issues that concern you. While there is a growing cynicism about government and a widespread view that once in power politicians forget about us until the next election, how many people take the time to contact their elected members and to pass on their views and concerns? If you never try, how can you be sure that politicians are uninterested and unresponsive? We know that organized interests, especially business interests, devote a great deal of energy and resources to promoting their views to the government. If politicians seem insensitive to the concerns of “average citizens,” is it because they so rarely hear from them? Since most people pay little attention to most issues most of the time, when a politician receives 10 phone calls or letters from individuals it can seem like a groundswell of public opinion.
Putting your concerns in writing is preferable, and is likely to generate a written response – even if it seems to be little more than a standard reply generated by a staffer. A written submission also gives you a better opportunity to demonstrate that your comments are based on knowledge of the issue in question and on informed judgment. Here again, the Internet offers convenient access, making it possible to contact federal and provincial politicians and most heads of municipal council by email. The Internet also allows you to view your government, at all levels, in action.
Better yet, make your presence known by attending government meetings. Meetings of your municipality or school board are particularly accessible. But attending a meeting of your municipal council should extend beyond being part of a delegation to the council. The trouble with delegations is that those participating present their concerns during their allotted time and then leave the meeting. This brief appearance doesn’t give you any indication about how your municipal council conducts its business. It doesn’t give you any opportunity to see and hear your elected representatives in action. It provides no insight into the issues and challenges that require local action. Attending a meeting means just that; it means staying through the meeting, or at least a good portion of it, whether or not you (or your group) are on the agenda as a delegation or have already been heard.
A Personal Flashback
I can still recall vividly my experience some 40 years ago when we moved to a small, rural township in Southeastern Ontario. Not long after settling in, I decided to attend a meeting of my local township council. I arrived to find the five council members and the clerk-treasurer seated around a large rectangular table. Not long after I taken my seat in the empty rows of chairs in the hall, the Reeve of the municipality invited me to come up to the table and state my issue/concern. When I explained that I didn’t have any issue to raise, but had simply come to watch my new local government in action, the response was one of shock and mild discomfort. [No one comes just to watch!]
As the meeting continued, a few individuals or groups appeared, according to their spot on the agenda, had their say, were thanked and essentially encouraged to “run along now,” and left the building. I remained. Every so often a councillor would look out at me, then lean over and whisper something which I suspected was along the lines of “that strange fellow is still out there.” Because of my evident, if unusual, interest in local government, I was “rewarded” by being appointed, a year or so later, Chair of the Township Planning Board. [I realize that this outcome may not spur others to emulate my show of municipal dedication.]
How About It?
Returning to the central theme of this post, it is up to you, gentle reader. You can go on complaining about politicians and their broken promises, ranting via social media, or just ignoring all matters political. Or you could decide to become an informed participant and do your part to revive Canadian democracy and to stimulate greater government responsiveness to its awakened citizenry.