Canada’s Debate

So I did something pretty callous yesterday; I challenged other bloggers by suggesting that they were taking shallow, unnuanced positions regarding the issues facing Ontarians in the upcoming provincial elections. I suppose it’s only fair then that I make note of a better approach, in this case a debate on MMP taking place over at The Great Canadian Debate. Ignoring for a moment the fact that their design is obviously inspired by yours truly… their debate is interesting. In this particular case there are a couple of points being made which are worth addressing, and a couple of points which need to first be addressed.

The one central issue which underlines this whole argument is quite simply one of representation. It is the purpose (and organizing principle) of government. We are governed by representatives because direct representation is impossible for anything larger than a small, cohesive community. The quality of that representation can be measured along two vectors: How far removed a representative is from his/her constituents (by location, ease of access, etc.) and how many constituents a representative is responsible for… so lets say there’s the practical vector, and the philosophical one. In Canada the nature of our geography and demographics mandates a system riddled with compromises in these two areas, and hence the imperfect but functioning form of government we currently have. Now, lets evaluate MMP along these two vectors. Today I’m going to focus on pratical considerations: (Continue reading…)

The Ontario election is heating up (even though the official campaign has not yet kicked off) and as usual the blogging community is the first battleground. Kinsella is calling John Tory out for his apparent duplicity in engaging in negative-campaigning. People on both sides of the debate are treating MMP as alternatively a panacea or poison-pill for politics in Ontario. You’ve got a tremendous back and forth on faith-based education, or as I like to call it a really fucking horrible idea. There’s un-costed budget proposals, vague promises galore, and a distinct lack of any actual momentum from any of the candidates. The election is five weeks away, and it feels like it’s months off.

I’m not sure where my vote will fall; as much as I am frustrated by the lack of action by Dalton McGuinty on tackling municipal issues, Howard Hampton has offered nothing in terms of an alternative… is it not said that the road to hell is paved by good intentions? If that’s true Howie is constructing his own personal super-highway. Tory is turning out to be the empty mouthpiece we all thought he would be; he has abandoned the pragmatism of his roots and turned into a “lower taxes, less government” zombie. I guess that leaves Dalton… and I’m not entirely comfortable with that.

The one thing I do know is that the blogosphere is disgracing itself by taking completely shallow positions on virtually every issue. If I see one more “Dalton is a flip-flopper” post because he doesn’t support faith-based funding at the moment; or another MMP will make democracy more fair… and therefore better post I’m going to scream. If the past 12 years of politics in Ontario being tinkered with has taught us anything it’s that there are tremendous nuances to every major policy initiative, and without a thorough exploration of said, those consequences will rear up and bite us in the ass.

But I guess being a “party” (wo)man is more important.

Well I’m settling into my new apartment nicely. I still need a few things (garbage can, clean pants, living room furniture, etc.) but all in all this place is starting to come together. My roommate has a cat named Ovenmitt who is slowly but surely getting used to me, and is not nearly as loud as I was expecting.

I’m still out of work of course, but hey, it wouldn’t be me if there wasn’t something I was failing to move on. I have however been picked up to write for a Toronto-based sports magazine which puts out its first issue on October 3rd (more on that later), and I’ve nabbed a couple of other interesting opportunities.

Just thought I’d leave a status report for now. I’ll get back to the whole politics thing later today or tomorrow. I’ve got some stuff to say about the upcoming provincial election.

So there was a cabinet shuffle this week… A few high profile members moved around, and a few quieter ones came and went. The big news of Harpers minority two-step was the banishment of O’Connor to the Ministry of Keeping Your Mouth Shut and wounded-Pete being installed as Minister of Defense. Most writers and bloggers have suggested that McKay was installed to raise the profile of the Afghan mission and put a better face on it.

After watching Harper run things (and make no mistakes, he’s running things) for the past couple of years it’s clear to me that the opposite is true. McKay hasn’t really accomplished anything in the last three years except look good for the camera and get swindled by people who are more clever than him (Stronach, Harper, Danny Williams, Condi…) In each case though, he looks good, as he’s taking a beating. The press gives him a sort of “Aw shucks” treatment usually reserved for dogs and precocious white children.

It’s pretty clear to me that McKay is taking over because he doesn’t make waves. Harper wants people to forget about Afghanistan, not appreciate it; and McKay does one thing and one thing well: he avoids the tough questions while staying in the spotlight. Most Canadians know about the casualties coming back from Afghanistan, but those can be tolerated so long as the mission seems “just.” Every time O’Connor opened his mouth that illusion vanished… With McKay in charge Canadians will keep on dying, but they’ll die quietly and the subject will be ignored in Parliamentary reporting.

Mark it down folks; August 14th, 2007. Today is the day that I find myself agreeing with Mel Lastman. Even though the increasing decrepitude of the city is partially his fault, he is correct in stating that the first place that the city should have cut costs was in Councillor expenses and the Nathan Phillips Square renovation. Of course, doing all that would only get Toronto to about %5 of where it needs to be in terms of savings (construction costs can be amortized), but it was a logical place to start; not because it makes a big difference but because it makes the REAL savings (decreased services or increased taxes) easier to swallow. In short, it would have demonstrated leadership.

Now, I have vigorously opposed this sort of talk up to this point… not because I disagreed with it so much but because people in this province are looking for someone to blame for their problems instead of conceding the realities of the situation (we got fucked by the province, and municipal leaders stalled hoping that Dalton would undo the damage.) I’ll admit, I was playing defense: making those cutbacks would distract from the true source of the problem… but it’s clear now that that approach has failed. Whether it’s because the ignorant masses just like to hate TOronto, or they just don’t care, the facts have gone out the window and there is no point trying to salvage a reasonable response from the electorate.

The Taliban has decided to release two sick Korean hostages, and while I am happy for those two people and their families, the news filled me with a sense of dread as opposed to relief, and it should for everyone else. Tony Carson suggests that these people are suffering from some sort of dementia, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. This action suggest to me that the Taliban is once again confident enough to use diplomacy and compromise to further its own goals. From an enfranchised government this is a positive step. From an authoritative militia that seeks to impose itself on a society that doesn’t want them, it is alarming in the extreme.

This means two things. One, they are interested in victory not violence. Two, that they think they can get it.

So I’ve set up a new poll, inspired by the discussion of how the city should respond to its ongoing budget crisis. Granted, there are no easy answers (as much as some people would like to believe there are) to this question, but I’m asking which you feel is the first thing Toronto should do. I hate to make demands on my readers, but I would love it if you would leave a comment explaining why you voted the way you did.

I can’t help but derive a certain degree of satisfaction from watching city council here in Toronto wiggle and squirm as it tries to figure an easy way out of it’s financial mess. The whole scenario reminds me of this:

The “citizens” of Toronto knew they were getting a raw deal with downloading (not to mention the province abandoning TTC operational funding) and yet they all cheered when Mayor Mel, the guy that built a subway line which is going to be mothballed after five years of operation, proudly declared “No tax increases.” Where the fuck did people think the money was going to come from to pay for their municipal services? The self-involvement fairy? My aunt says “if the city wouldn’t waste so much money it’d be fine.” The city wastes money; all cities do. All bureacracies do, and the bigger they get the more they waste. Could the city be a bit better? Certainly… but it strikes me as pretty galling that as a city we collectively buried our heads in the sand, and yet we expected OUR ELECTED REPRESENTATIVES to start fighting a problem we convinced ourselves didn’t exist.