Commentary on Canadian Public Affairs

Political parties as we know them today evolved in fits and starts. In England, they began as collections of what we would call today “interest groups”. Rather than defending a particular ideology or political theory, they defended the power of one social institution versus another. The Tories supported royal power and the Church of England, and drew their followers from the gentry. The Whigs favoured constitutional monarchy and limits on royal power, and drew their support from the upper aristocracy and “dissenters” (i.e. non-Anglican Protestants and Catholics).

It seems a new word has reached the heights of profanity, vulgarity and inappropriateness in our political discourse.  The p-word.  Partisanship. 

In the U.S., President Obama has been trying to pursue a promise of putting an end to partisan bickering so that everyone can move forward together. In Canada, after December’s coalition talk Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff has been laying down his conditions for bipartisan cooperation (having abandoned previous plans for tripartisan cooperation). Bipartisanship, non-partisanship, cooperation, collaboration — all lofty goals that paint a picture of cooperative government that’s really able to “get things done.” 

With the Oscar nominations being announced recently I thought I’d offer a few thoughts on a little movie that’s suddenly captured a lot of attention — Slumdog Millionaire. When I saw this movie I enjoyed the cinematography and storytelling, but I also wrote it off as a bit of a superficial ‘feel good movie of the year’ type of film. To be honest, I didn’t give much thought until I ran into a commentary piece in the Ottawa Citizen written by a friend who’d recently immigrated to Canada from India.  

Without giving too much away, the movie is on the surface a tale about a child who grew up in the slums of Mumbai.Throughout his journey he faces persecution from police, organized crime, and violent religious factions. He lives hand-to-mouth whatever his surroundings — slums, garbage dumps, or call centres — but through a series of events finds himself as a contestant on an Indian version of ‘Who Wants To Be a Millionaire’.  

Over the last two years, Bush Administration spokespeople have repeatedly asserted that history will judge the Presidency of George W. Bush. At first, the line was evoked as a way of deflecting important questions, as though we have to wait 50 years to decide if Iraq was a series of colossal mistakes. But lately it seems that President Bush has absorbed the mantra on a more personal level, taking refuge in the idea that although he is widely condemned at the moment, on deeper reflection and with the benefit of hindsight, historians will judge the Bush Presidency more kindly than today’s observers.  

Once again the situation in the Middle East has flared, with Israel launching air raids and ground incursions into Gaza. I find this particular action unsettling and risky for the simple reason that Israel does not seem to have defined what precisely they are trying to accomplish. Insofar as they have done so, it seems the offensive is unlikely to achieve the goals that have been set. In the meantime, the increased violence will only serve to strengthen radicals on both sides.  

I think it’s reasonable to assume that an overwhelming percentage of Canadians would claim that they are concerned about the future of our planet. In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever met anybody who wasn’t at least a little bit concerned about our environment.

Canadian voting patterns, however, indicate something quite different. Election after election, Canadians tend to place the environment quite low on the list of election issues upon which they cast their vote. The economy has historically been among the top issues on the minds of voters, so let’s take a look at the environment through an economic lens.

On Saturday, December 6, 2008, over a thousand people gathered at Nathan Phillips Square for a rally in support of the Liberal-NDP Coalition. Several PSB contributors attended and brought along a video camera. We interviewed over a dozen people — from rock stars to politicians to regular people — in order to find out why they came and what they hoped to achieve. Below are parts 1 and 2 of “Coalition for Change.”

As we wrote a few days after the event, our encounters releaved a profound frustration on the part of progressive Canadians that despite being predominant in Canadian society, their views were relegated to opposition status in the House of Commons. It also suggested that despite their high percentage of the popular vote, Canada’s progressive parties, particularly the Liberals, lack grassroots support.

This film was shot and edited by Milan Chotai. Special thanks to Tyler B. for taking photos and arranging interviews at the Rally.

Based on media reports, when it comes to the crisis in the auto sector, there are only two solutions: bailout or bankruptcy. Canadians have been offered a false choice in this debate; in reality, there’s a third way — a strategy that could create jobs while making Canada’s auto sector globally competitive again. 

We should seize the unique opportunity that the combination of the Big Three’s impending collapse and calls for government intervention presents to transform our economy, once and for all, by allowing all Canadian manufacturers — not just Chrysler, GM and Ford — to compete for public investment. 

On Saturday, a group of PSB contributors attended the Coalition Rally in Toronto. We wanted to find out what the crisis was all about by talking to the participants. So we brought along a video camera and conducted over a dozen interview with politicians, rock stars, and everyday people.

What we learned is that the rally and the Coalition represent a deep frustration on the part of progressive Canadians that their values are dominant in Canada, but not in Parliament. The composition of the crowd also revealed a lack of grassroots engagement which must be rectified if the Coalition stands a chance of succeeding. But the real lesson from this weekend, and the political crisis generally, is that Canada’s political system is antiquated.

(We’re in the process of editing our footage and hope to have PSB’s first video up this week. In the meantime, you can check out some photos on Flickr.)