A Real People's Party

For a Canadian, it is truly a revelation to see videos of what is going on in Westminster over the Brexit negotiations. It is spellbinding. This is how parliamentary democracy is supposed to work, and it does not work in Canada at all.

In Westminster, we see a genuine debate. Speakers keep raising new and important points. Everyone listens. What they say is instructive. The mood of the chamber alters as a result. They may or may not support a given position of their own party in the debate. At the same time, they tend to be courteous to one another. While sometimes meant ironically, they generally make a point of saying something nice about an opponent before disagreeing. By and large, motives are not questioned and insults not flung; debate sticks to the issues.

Compare any videoed exchange from Canada’s federal parliament. Hoots and cheers in chorus, as if either side is trying to drown out the other. You give everyone else on your side a standing ovation. Seats near the speaker are jammed with the faces the party wants the cameras to see, generally expressing party diversity; and preventing any view of empty seats. Everybody who speaks speaks for their party, and sounds completely scripted, not saying anything they have themselves thought. This means the gist of what they are about to say is predictable before they open their mouths, and nobody learns anything. No opinions are changed. It is only a matter of trying to think up some choice insult that could make a “sound bite” or a campaign slogan. The party opposite is always accused of criminal behavior.

In sum, no debate actually takes place; the Commons simply does not function. You might as well just have lists of numbers instead of real people: 157 votes for any Tory proposition, 165 for any Liberal one. The decisions are all taken elsewhere, out of public sight, and only brought there for a vote. The result of any such vote is foreordained. The general public need never know the reasons or the reasoning.

This is not a democracy at all. Canada today is an elected dictatorship.

Some of this is no doubt due to the Canadian education system, that criminally does not teach debate nor parliamentary procedure. Much of it is due, I suspect, to the fact that in Canada, the party leader must sign the nomination papers for all local candidates, so that all are bought and paid for in advance. And all Canadian parties have a strong and growing reputation for dealing severely with any internal divergence from the party line.

How about a real People’s Party, that, as a matter of the party constitution, will never interfere with whatever candidate is thrown up by their local riding associations, beyond ensuring that a properly democratic election was held? In these days of popular revolt, it could be a decisive winning issue. Yes, some candidates might well be nominated whose views make head office’s hair curl. But so long as they take no initial responsibility, how does this reflect on them? Democracy is supposed to come from the bottom up, not the top down.