When people lead, politicians follow…or fall!

by Joseph Roberts

 

• The true honour in the recent election goes to Canadians who saw through the deception and destruction of Harper’s regime. The leadership debates were for the most part: guarded, vacuous and stiff, with very little inspiration. The staging made a pretence of neutrality, was male biased, gave Harper centre stage and the best camera angles – straight on rather than side views – were unflattering to Mulcair and quirky for Trudeau. Plus on the Munk Debate (think Barrick Gold and John Baird funding or sponsorship) the back-drop was Conservative blue. But all of the fixing and manipulation didn’t work because the people of Canada had organized themselves in amazing ways.

For the first time, NGO groups had analyzing and organizing tools previously reserved for political party operatives. Our love of Canada, ethical governance and true national heart’s desire to protect environmental well-being, were directly expressed, communicated and shared with powerful impact locally and nationally.

Through independent media – not controlled by the corporate political complex which traditionally manipulated the vote – we were free to express our disgust of the Harper-fronted Tar Sands corporatists and undemocratic 12th century First Past the Post (FPTP) electoral system. Hint: when the ruling class invented FPTP 900 hundred years ago it wasn’t intended to create democracy. And now just three countries are still stuck with it in the Western world: the UK, USA and Canada.  It’s time to modernize and democratize our electoral system.

To that end, groups such as Lead Now, Vote Together, Rabble, Dogwood Alliance, Council of Canadians, Fair Vote Canada and others, independently organized millions of voters.

Exciting new oxygen for real people filled the air, as inspired artists created and sang strong and clear messages of democracy: Stop Harper, Protect the Environment, support CBC, unmuzzle our scientists, allow MPs to serve their constituents and speak freely, and resuscitate Canada’s image worldwide as a peacekeeper rather than instilling ignorance, fear and war-mongering. We, the people of Canada, became the change we wanted to see in the world, rather than blindly continue “Harper’s Government” of hatred and hubris.

We became the media, by participating in new forms of communicating, joining and funding independent grassroots groups with clear goals dedicated to getting rid of Harper and determined to establish an equitable and fair, proportional representational electoral system for our next election.

Common Ground continually informed and educated during “the dark years” of Harper’s nine-year neo-conservative reign.  Common Ground took a powerful position dedicating both our September STOP HARPER cover edition, and our October GO VOTE special feature to the cause. Common Ground launched both our regular CG West and the new CG East in Ontario with these two strategic issues.  The publisher ‘s team spent six weeks from Toronto to Ottawa,  distributing these special Common Ground Ontario magazines,  reaching about a quarter million new readers over the two month period. We wanted people to be informed and know what they are voting for. There have been too many low-information voters easily manipulated by mass media. They do not have the informed edge to be able to see through the fog of political propaganda. Common Ground Ontario was freely distributed in many swing ridings and was available on all 63 racks in the Toronto Subway System.  CG East was a warmly-welcomed, a fresh new independent face encouraging people to vote smartly.

It wasn’t a red wave that swept across Canada, though the Liberal Party certainly was the benefactor of this people’s movement to save Canada from the extractionist “don’t care, don’t share” corporate agenda.

Let’s honour the ethics and principles of Canadians who did not take the bait on Harper’s fear hook. Neo-cons played to the lowest denominators of fear and loss of money that their wizards and foreign consultants spun to catch voters in their negative web. They called it wrong to support any party but Harper’s Conservatives.  While serving Mammon, everything associated with money is most important.  Graciously,  Canadians had other values and voted for change and to move to higher ground.

It was an election designed to be won by attrition, with those calling the writ believing they could out-spend and out-last their opponents. Ha, it back fired on them, big time.

The last act of their $25 million fear campaign was to wrap daily newspapers from coast to coast to coast with a yellow coloured scary jacket proclaiming that if you vote Liberal or NDP it would cost you too much. Well their con didn’t work because people in Canada had found their own common ground and it wasn’t based on fear. A fear campaign was not going to trick us into giving up our freedom by voting for Harper’s promise of protection.

Harper, who was trolling for his base of low information, easily scared voters, wrapped his final message on a shocking yellow and black warning that Trudeau and Mulcair would “cost us too much”. However,  we educated ourselves during the last long nine years and their final,  grueling,  longest-ever election campaign. We had figured Harper out. It was he who had already cost us dearly. And we read the best before date which had expired a decade ago.

An additional shame came from what used to be esteemed journals, now inserted in their client’s yellow fear flyers. Canada is coming into its own. Citizens saw through the multinational oil shill, called Harper pimping for the Tar Sands and ignoring climate and environmental destruction. Voters rejected the deceit.

We now need to stay awake. We must be equally perceptive with the incoming government, vigilant that they don’t get seduced by the “dark side”. We also need a full court press to make certain to improve the electoral system.  Because, when a new government gets handed a majority with only 39% of the popular vote, whether as it was the Conservatives in 2011 or the Liberals in 2015, we have a false majority.  The other 61% are dispossessed of any effective representation and power.

The only safe place for democracy is not based in leaders or parties, but in the people of Canada themselves. And great MPs understand this. Unsung people are the true heroes of the election, not just those who attracted the most votes.

Justin Trudeau said he had listened to the people of Canada and that gave him the winning edge.  Now with a healthy dose of Canadian humility and compassion, he needs to obey the electorates’ cautious support and cherished wishes. He must deliver the promised more modern, fairer, electoral system in which all people votes are honoured and have value. Where a majority of the popular vote gets a true and proportional majority, where 30% of the vote get about 30% of the seats in parliament, and yes where 20% gets 20% or 10% gets 10%. Because basically Canadians are fair and desire fairness in our governance. That is the “real change” the majority of Canadians want and voted for. And it is this “real change” that is Job One for Justin Trudeau.