I recently decided that I need to spend more time paying attention to and writing about politics in my own (Great White) backyard. As such, once again you’re going to see less of me around these parts as my writing will be focused on Canadian politics over at the Commons (where you can also read more Nova Scotia born commenter North).
Today; however, I posted an exchange with Dr. Alex Himelfarb on the need for democratic renewal in Canada that I thought might be of interested to readers of the League.
“Who?”, you say. Dr. Himelfarb is a pretty big deal in many Canadian political circles. He is an acclaimed academic, a former public servant, and Canadian Ambassador to Italy (now there’s a gig that I could get into). You can read more about Dr. Himelfarb at his own blog.
Anyhow, while Dr. Himelfarb and I are speaking in an explicitly Canadian context, the ideas explored have, I think, a good deal of transferability. Here is a taste,
I have written elsewhere that we ask relatively little of our citizens. We have no compulsory service or voting. Apart from paying taxes (and we know how people feel about this), jury duty (which many manage to escape) and filling out the census every five years (and we have seen what happened with the long form), we don’t require much of our citizens. I think governments and our educators ought to be doing a lot more to promote a richer sense of citizenship, an awareness of our rights but also of our responsibilities, not only to ourselves and our families, but to one another, our communities, our country and beyond. The strength of our institutions depends in no small measure on citizens taking responsibility. Our criminal justice system would break down if most of us most of the time didn’t obey the law. Our health system which has served so well for so long needs fundamental reform, but its ability to deliver depends as well on our responsible use. And so it goes for all our systems. I would add that we cannot achieve any of our great objectives if citizens and firms don’t take some responsibility for changing their own behaviour.
Having said all this, I think electoral reform should focus now on making voting more self-evidently meaningful – not compulsory.
Murali 
James Hanley 
Jaybird 
Fish 
Will Truman 
Human Hireling 
DensityDuck 
BSK 
Borat: “I do a picture, only small, of the Tishnik Masacre. Where many Uzbeks…crushed!”
Kindly Gray Hippie: “How did you feel when you drew this?”
Borat: “Very proud!”.
KGH: “I’m just listening with sadness…a little sadness for your people…?”
Borat: “Yes…no, it is not sad. It is us who do the kill!”
When in doubt,
{ 6 comments }
You are bemoaning the fact you have no compulsory service or voting?
You should be celebrating this lack of slavery.
@Mike Farmer, added the tail end of that comment where Dr. Himelfarb notes that he does not support compulsory voting.
Thanks — you had me worried for minute.
@M. Farmer, call me crazy, but compulsory voting is kind of ananthema to the whole notion of civic engagement.
Li totally agree.
@Alex himelfarbmake that I totally agree
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