By the time you finish reading Alison Loat’s book for the Samara Institute Tragedy in the Commons you are in a state of despair. You wonder why collectively these former Members of Parliament who were interviewed for the book ever ran for office. Eager or reluctant, they chose their own road to perdition. And yet, in leaving parliament, they had much to say about what is wrong but little to say about how we can fix the growing problems with our political system in Canada.
The concept of the book is something like asking weevils to explain how to restore a tree to health after they have bored their way through it.
It is not until you come to the end of the book and are amazed at the list of 80 former parliamentarians who had so little insight for this book. Most are never even quoted. And yet there are names missing who might have had much to say. Maybe the late Rt. Hon. Herb Gray’s ill health prevented an interview but his insight, intelligence and experience were some of the obvious reasons why he was so respected in parliament.
Knowing many of the people interviewed helps to understand some of their quotes. Having watched parliament with great interest from the Diefenbaker Détente through to the Harper Horror, it is easy to recount the obvious failures of parliament to adjust to the changing needs of Canadian society. It is also easy to see how party leaders have increasingly abused the trust of the parliamentary process.
When Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau once said “Just watch me” to the news media, he was admitting that he understood the lack of safeguards on the power of his office.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper treats the parliamentary process as Penelope’s tapestry that can be woven in daylight and the stitches removed in the night. He can prorogue parliament at will and has turned the custom of question period into a farce of questions with no answers.
The Samara Institute did Canadians a regrettable disservice with Tragedy in the Commons. It does little more than stick a toe into the waters of how Canadians are served by governments. It ignores the systemic failure of our governments to further democracy to meet the needs of a very different society than that of the time of federation.
Canada is a society today that is built on diversity. We are capable of greatness as a nation. It is our governments that fail us.
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Copyright 2014 © Peter Lowry
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