Canada’s Debate

The first question people ask me when I get all worked up and start pestering them about the Bloggers’ Congress is usually, what is it? (Sometimes it’s “why are you bothering me?”)

This is a fair question, so I will endeavour to answer it here, and answer a few others along the way. The Bloggers’ Congress is designed to be a site where Canadian bloggers can come together and represent an organized and representative face to our larger community. It is not a Model-UN type organization. The site will provide original content along with newsfeeds and other resources for anyone interested in Canadian politics. Once the site is fully hosted a forum will be added to promote discussion.

How does it work? Well, right now it doesn’t. Once officially open the site will be portal with a heavy emphasis on original content. This content will come in two forms: congress blogs and congress content, with the latter being the most important. Congress blogs will be usually be casual and incidental to the discussion.

What are the releases? This is the official content of the site, each post will represent the author and the community. There are two types of releases: congressional and member. Each blogger on the staff will have a specific area of responsibility or consideration (eg. The environment, Foreign Affairs, etc.) and any content he writes on the subject will be issued as a member statement (other member content will be directed towards the blogs.) Congressional releases are the posts that represent the entire congress, such as the results of votes held by the group, or recaps of a recent election. All of these posts will be vetted by the group and issued collectively.

What is this “group” you refer to? Who is the Congress? Right now the group is not yet formed, and I have yet to settle on an exact formula. Regardless of exact details, the Congress will be composed of a group Canadian political bloggers who will either be elected directly, or from a list. The groups makeup will be determined by both regional and political concerns, and while the site itself will not endorse or recognized any party affiliations, participants are of course free to affiliate with whomever they choose. The exact system and timing of the elections are still being worked out.

Once elected, the congress will appoint each member to a portfolio or area of responsibility (the exact list of which will be determined by the size of the final group.) These will include areas such as “Finance,” the “Environment,” etc., following the federal governments’ areas of jurisdiction and influence without mirroring it exactly. Each member will serve as a critic or shadow for this portfolio, and provide a reasoned voice for the blogging community.

You mentioned votes. What will the group vote on? The Congress isn’t just an aggregate for popular Canadian bloggers, it is also a collective designed to give greater weight to the arguments of Canadian bloggers. Any member of the congress can propose a vote, and if the measure is tabled (mechanism to be decided later), the entire group then votes on it. For example, someone may propose a vote either supporting or rejecting a new Federal budget. The Congress would vote, and the result would be released along with a Congressional Release explaining the result, written by someone who voted for the “winning” side. A release from the dissenting group is also possible (although not necessary.)

How do I participate? If you wish to be a part of the next Congress then all you have to do is volunteer. There is only one prerequisite: a willingness to contribute regularly and thoughtfully on whatever political subject you become responsible for. The exact mechanism for the election is yet to be decided.

If you wish to participate through discussion, a forum will be launched shortly, which will be open to all comers.

If you wish to contribute to the design, maintenance or technical administration of the site then email me and I’ll see if something can be arranged. As of right now the site will cost me nothing beyond the domain registration, so I have no need or desire for donations.