I originally had planned a long discussion a more significant topic, but have been forced by space constraints to keep it very brief. Civilizations have fought for democratic rights for millennia, but people still often feel that their voices are not heard. Like most democratic countries, Canada has a representative (or indirect) democracy. That means we vote for people to represent us based on the decisions we believe they would make. Representative democracies have the advantage of being easier to co-ordinate and more flexible with the ability to make quick decisions.
The representatives have the ability to spend all their time understanding the issues at hand, which would be too much work for individuals who are focusing on their own careers. For a representative democracy to work best, it is important to select the person that best represents yourself. Unfortunately, Canadian politics have turned towards voting for parties, with less emphasis on the individuals in those parties. By having such strong party affiliations, our representatives often now fail to represent their constituents; they simply represent the interests of their party. In fact, voting for the proper representative is such an important component of democracy that party affiliations weren’t put on the Canadian Ballot until 1974.
Unfortunately, this is now the system we live in. One, in which party affiliation is more important than the diverse beliefs and values of the representative themselves. “What can one do to change it?” Well, it isn’t something that can be protested. This is a problem that starts in the mindset of the candidates and is reinforced by the mindset of the voters. The single most important choice a person makes in Canada is who they vote for. For this reason, it is important to do as much research on the candidates as possible. Once you are informed the second most important thing is to inform those around you. Politics is often an avoided subject because people like to avoid the possibility of conflict. However, if a person believes something so strongly, then it shouldn’t be frightening if somebody challenges that belief. It only becomes frightening if the person starts believing the challenger. I have mentioned before that it is important to keep an open mind, however, it is also important not to believe everything you hear. It is my hopes that the Iron warrior has kept you informed and continued to make you question the ‘facts’ around you. Keep well my friends, continue to challenge the world and push boundaries, after all, that’s what we are good at right?
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