Then, UpHere Magazine asked if I would write something for their blog. I ended up writing an entry that would later be called "A room full of monkeys, or, why Ottawa should adopt Northern consensus-style government". (Not my original title, but it works.)
In truth, making the case for Consensus Government it pretty easy. Clare, over at the House and other Arctic Musings summed it up quite eloquently on his blog.
I'm quickly coming to realize that we're not "voices in the wilderness" on this issue. Canadians across the country are getting sick and tired of party politics and are excited to hear that there is a better approach - one that is more representative of Canadians.
In its few days of existence, the Canadians for Consensus Government facebook group has grown quickly - and with consistently more than four times as many outstanding invitations as there are members, it's sure to keep growing. The discussions have been good and constructive. Check them out for yourself!
One of the questions that keeps coming up is "How do we make this happen?" Three actions that we can all take really stick out in my mind:
- Learn more about the pros and cons of the Consensus Model, then tell your friends and family and the media about it.
- Ask your MP who they're there for - their constituents or their party. Then, assuming your MP hasn't said they're there for the party, ask them to represent their constituents better by becoming an Independent. Who knows, if a few good MPs go this route, we might see the start of a movement at the MP level. Wishful thinking, perhaps, but it's better than doing nothing.
- Don't vote for a party. Instead, vote for an Independent who you think will do a good job representing your riding.
The "Movement for Independents" is on the rise.
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