Robocalls: Making the Case for Engagement

Much has been written over the past few days about the use of robocalls, particularly during the 2011 federal election. We have all had them. Usually during dinner. Their timing is great...#sarcasm

At the heart of the story are a growing number of allegations that robocalls were targeted at Liberal and NDP voters in swing ridings, informing them that the polling station had changed. These calls have been traced to a company in Edmonton with ties to the Conservative party.

At this time it is not clear who was responsible for these calls, nor whether they were part of a Conservative party-orchestrated plan to mislead or disenfranchise those who would typically vote for other parties (text vetted by crack team of A Guy Watching Politics lawyers). However, should the allegations be proven it would not bode well for the image of the Conservative party.

Now let's be honest with one another. There is no real chance that anything will change on the Hill between now and the next federal election. We will not re-cast our votes, regardless of how any debate or investigation might play out.

Yes, the government could be embarrassed. Potentially people could lose their jobs, and perhaps face criminal charges. But the government will remain the government until as late as 2016.

Sigh.

If you were the government and you had to choose when to have a scandal emerge, this would be the time. Unlike the Auditor General findings which unleashed the sponsorship scandal in the later years of a Liberal mandate, this issue comes at the beginning of a Conservative one. All to say, they have time on their side.

This is where you come in, dear voter.

These allegations are part of a pattern; a pattern of a party which remains in perpetual campaign mode. As much as the election around the corner flowed from successive minority Parliaments, it also flowed from a Conservative government which has never seemed able to resist its more base, partisan instincts.

It is also a pattern characterized by an avoidance of accountability and a rejection of the principles upon which the Conservative party first successfully won power - accountability, transparency, and the elimination of scandal from Ottawa.

This is why we need to remain engaged. These issues are not just about things that happen in Ottawa.

- Misleading voters about the plans of a sitting MP is, in the Speaker's words, reprehensible.
- Labelling opponents of legislation with child pornographers is despicable.
- And supporting (or turning a blind eye) to efforts to disenfranchise those would vote against you is borderline criminal.

The government is not going to change between now and 2016. But we can. We need to be more vigilant and engaged. The voter should not fall victim to the idiom that time heals all wounds; that in four years time no one will remember or care.

We need to challenge ourselves to define what we expect of government, and then explore all efforts to hold government to account. This is what engagement means.

Thank-you robocalls for the reminder.

You can't have responsible government without responsible voters

The topic of voter apathy popped back into the news in recent days. Statistics Canada is reporting 23% of all eligible voters did not vote because they were not interested. I find this frustrating.

There are lots of things I don't do because I am not interested. I don't see movies or read books that don't interest me. I don't visit or vacation in places for which I have little interest. You get the point.

However, there is a category of things that I choose to do to even if they don't necessarily interest me. I follow news stories that don't always interest me, but which are nevertheless important enough that I feel I should stay informed. I talk with people at events - as they do with me - even if the topic isn't interesting. This is about being polite.

Finally, there are things I have to do whether they interest me or not. We all have some of that at work, for example.

So where does or should voting fit in? There is no easy answer.

Some argue that the root of our apathy lies in the dysfunction of our politics; that the squabbling, partisanship and the focus on "in the bubble" issues have created a disconnect between the voter and the democratic process. People aren't connecting because (a) the issues are not theirs and (b) the theatre of our politics is off-putting.

Another argument is that the way we vote is out of touch with a 21st century communications world. Lines, booths and slips of paper don't cut it in a 140-character, high speed, "give it to me quick world." The youth voter, the argument goes, is disconnected from the process of voting.

My thoughts?

I agree that our politics is flawed and is too often showing a disconnect between what is important to Canadians and what is discussed in Ottawa. Scandal increasingly trumps substance, and it is something which all of the parties have allowed to happen (and in some cases preferred to happen). I also agree that we should look for ways to introduce more technology into the voting process.

However, I think too often we are looking for easy answers and opportunities to point fingers. I get frustrated when I hear someone did not vote because it takes too much time, or because the issues did not appeal to them. A decision not to vote is being made the fault of someone else.

For me, these arguments reveal a disappointing absence of a sense of responsibility; responsibility which should be inherent in a healthy democracy. To say "make it compelling for me", or "make it easier for me" suggests that participation in the democratic process of your country should be driven by the same motivations behind going to a movie or choosing what to watch on television.

The problem of voter apathy is a collective one. Our politics needs to be more responsive to the challenges and opportunities we face. Our process needs to embrace 21st century technology. And we, the voter, need to step outside of our current mindset and rediscover the concept of civic duty and responsibility.

The birth of responsible government in Canada was a significant milestone in our development as a nation. However, for responsible government to work you need responsible voters. Interested?