The Movement for Independents

Yesterday, I was interviewed about the case for applying Consensus Government to Canada's Parliament. That interview aired dark and early this morning (at least, it was dark and early in the Yukon when it aired) on CBC's NWT morning radio show, The Trailbreaker. Here it is:

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:

1. Learn more about the pros and cons of the Consensus Model, then tell your friends and family and the media about it.
2. 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.
3. 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.

Jumping on the bandwagon...

I know I'm not the only getting endless invitations to join Facebook groups that support the Conservatives or the coalition. And I am really not looking forward to another month or two of rhetoric as the parties try to sway or solicit my opinion about who I think is right - because I think they're all wrong. Partisan politics are coming before the needs of Canadians and I, for one, am sick of it.

I have, in the end, decided to join a Facebook group. It's not the one that supports the Conservatives. It's not the one that supports the coalition. It's the one that supports a government that best represents the people of Canada. You can find it here.

Voices in the wilderness...

Looks like I'm not the only one who's ready for a consensus-style system of government at the national level...

Read Clare's take at The House & other Arctic Musings. Check out his riveting "True Crime" entries while you're at it!

There are better ways...

As fascinating as the drama on Parliament Hill is to watch, I can't help but think that it's like watching yourself step on a nail - it's certainly interesting, but it's not very pleasant and can only lead to more pain and suffering later on. You can be upset with the foot or you can be upset with the nail (you can also cheer for either one), but the end result is the same: an injured, bloody foot and a discarded or bent nail.

I have no doubt that the whole election/coalition/proroguing issue will lead to discussions in the media about parliamentary reform, so I'm going to throw my two-cents out while I have a chance.

Canadians should seriously consider adopting the consensus-style system of government. Both the Northwest Territories and Nunavut use consensus governments. If you don't know how the consensus system works, read about how it's applied in Nunavut in this Canadian Parliamentary Review article. (Thanks to Way Way Up for the link.)

Critics of the consensus-style system say it may work for small territories but that it can't work for a country with over three hundred Members of Parliament. Well, how well is the party-based system working now? You might try to argue that this is a perfect example of how well the party system works, but I ask you, is what we're seeing an example of the parties looking out for the best interests of Canadians?  Or are the parties only looking out for themselves?

The current system is based on party survival.  Because of that, I know that the consensus system will never be adopted at the national level.  After all, the people who would need to adopt the changes are the ones with the most to lose.  Still, with everything that's going on, you can't fault a guy for doing a little wishful thinking...