Opinion: Canada’s political institutions are failing. The next parliament must save them

Photo Illustration: The Globe and Mail. Source Images: Houses of Parliament, 1868/Library and Archives Canada; Broken Mirror/iStock

Canadians also increasingly believe that they have little control over government and, worse, that even their politicians have little control over events as they take shape. If Canadians wish to locate political power, they should not look to the Parliament, political parties, Cabinet or the public service. The health of our democracy is tied at the hip to the health of our institutions, and all institutions that underpin Canadian democracy are in need of repair.

It is no exaggeration to write that governments, no matter which party holds power, now view Parliament as an obstacle to be overcome. It has become an institution whose role is largely limited to legitimating decisions struck elsewhere.

Things do not improve for MPs once elected. Dennis Mills, a former MP and businessperson who regularly meets with chief executives, summed things up well: “CEOs no longer know who their MPs are, but they sure know who their lobbyists are," he told me the other week. It only takes a moment’s reflection to appreciate that Canadians cannot afford lobbyists to roam the corridors of power in Ottawa on their behalf. Therein lies the problem.

The media, another key institution to making representative democracy work, are also facing challenges. The traditional media, with their full gamut of fact checking and editorial oversight, are fast giving way to the Wild West ways of social media. The digital world is making it possible for the post-truth world to flourish. All supporting evidence one now needs on social media is: “I heard it somewhere.” The result is that social media disconnects Canadians as much as it connects them.

Canadian representative democracy needs to be on guard against mediocrity, complacency, poor journalism, low regard for politicians, a debased public service, a sense that citizens have no control over their government and that this country’s national political institutions are unable to reflect Canadian society and its regions. People instinctively sense a problem with the state of Canadian democracy.

GlobeDebate ...first a terrorist burns down the Palace of Parliament...now this...

GlobeDebate A long article saying nothing new and offering zero real life solutions. But great clickbait.

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