Politics—this concept has been around since the ancient Greeks, but over the centuries, politics has changed.
While we advance as a society and strengthen our morals and quality of life, politics has been taking a downwards trend. As Canadians, it has become a fact of life that politicians will inevitably lie to us to gain political power.
We resent them for this very reason. However, most Canadians simply don’t care enough to speak out strongly against a politician’s unfulfilled promises.
This is a slippery slope, because now politicians believe they can lie to gain political power and not face any consequences, because they believe the people don’t care.
Consider the following stats. During the 2011 Federal Election, voter turnout across the whole country was at a measly 61.4%. The election before that, in 2008, had a 58.8% voter turnout.
Canadians that do not vote, create politicians and governments that don’t fear the people, and this is exactly what is happening in today’s politics.
All forms of governments, on the federal, provincial and sometimes even municipal level, no longer fear the people because a considerable amount of eligible voters choose not to be informed of the governments actions, and they choose not to care.
In short, governments in this country no longer fear accountability.
The contrast between the political situation in Canada, and elsewhere in the undeveloped world, is astonishing. While in this country, we suffer the lowest rates of voter turnout in the developed world, in other countries people are dying for their people’s right to vote and live in a democracy.
Take the revolutions in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya. All those revolutions had one common goal in mind. This goal is to reform their corrupt dictatorship into a democracy.
There are some ignorant people in the Western World who truly believe that most people in Asia, Africa and the Middle East support dictatorships and are a danger to the democratic movement.
Though this might be true in some cases, for the most part this statement holds no merit. The series of revolutions against oppressive dictators in the Middle East and Africa this past year demonstrates that the people are willing to die for the right to vote, for their right to live in a free democracy.
In Canada however, nearly half of eligible voters do not care enough about their democracy to take ten minutes out of their day and vote. It’s hard to believe some of us have the audacity to accuse countries where people are dying for democracy, of being a danger to democracy.
The politicians in this country are no better than the people who don’t take interest in their democracy at all. A politician’s duty is to represent the people. This seems forgotten by Canadian politicians.
It seems their only concern is to gain political power. Some of our politicians are willing to lie to their supporters, and to the nation as a whole, in order to strengthen support.
This year was no different. The current Conservative government, lead by Prime Minister Stephen Harper, has broken many of the promises he made to Canadians during previous elections, and in the most recent election earlier this year. Some of the broken promises include, a constitutional amendment that would prohibit prisoners in federal institutions from voting in elections, the broken promise to reduce tax on diesel fuel, and Harper's promise to only appoint elected senators into the Senate.
The Liberal party also does not have a great track record of fulfilling their promises to Canadians, and more specifically Ontarians. During the last provincial elections in Ontario, Premier Dalton McGuinty, made a plethora of last minute promises. The most controversial of these promises, was his pledge to relocate a power plant originally set to be built in Mississauga.
After the election had concluded, and the Liberals had nearly managed to maintain a majority government, there were trucks seen hauling equipment to the power plant construction site. Construction continued for months without any significant outrage by Ontarians, or demand for the Liberals to take accountability for their actions.
A year in review of politics in this country uncovers a disturbing trend. This year’s politics that featured lies by politicians, Canadians unwillingness to participate in their democracy and tons of political controversy, has become classified as a normal year in politics. These issues no longer stand out to most people, but rather these issues have become a fact of life. If we don’t change our thinking soon, the damage we do to our democracy will be irreversible and perhaps in the future we are going to have to fight like the Libyans for our democracy…maybe then we will learn to appreciate it.
Kayan Yassine - Kayan Yassine is an avid follower in the fields of sports, entertainment news and politics and focus' his writing in those areas.
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