We Have The Keys - Will We Use Them?

<strong>Written By:</strong> whelan costen
<strong>Date:</strong> 2005-10-02 12:29:00
<a href="/article/122909981-we-have-the-keys-will-we-use-them">Article Link</a>

Today, Canadians are perched upon a very high bow able to see for the first time in a very long time, if ever, the goings on deep within the bowels of ‘Ottawa’. The internet connects us to one another enabling us to communicate on an even playing field. We enter rooms without proper dress, we rarely wait for an invitation, we cannot scan the room for ‘important’ people. We come to the information party with only our words, our typing skills and our ability to debate, to inform and to share. We are in a rare position in history. We will disregard a person’s opinion because of their use of profanity, or their insensitive language, but we will not turn away because of historically offensive reasons. We cannot judge our audience based on race, creed, colour of skin, manner of dress, perceived wealth or their connections to it, simply because we do not see it! We cannot hear the dialect or be influenced by our human prejudices.

This is new terrain and new opportunity. Ottawa, the secluded retreat for the rich and the powerful to craft their dreams and make policy for their friends, is being changed. The people are waking up to their true role in a democracy. Unlike politicians of years gone by a poor child can dream of entering politics and making a genuine difference. They can dream it today, because we will set the stage for the future, now! The Ottawa illusion, created in days gone by and lived today, has fed its own fantasy with the help of media and those who enjoy the belief that their must be an upper class. We supply the juice by standing by and allowing, those we elect to represent us, to pass through the semi-permeable membrane. Once they pass through it, they cannot return to the people. They are baptized into the black-light of rich, power and prestige and it seems to suck the humanity from within and replace it with a new kind of soldier.

Government is meant to govern and you would think that was a given, or a common sense statement. However that is not what current government is busying itself with these days. Certainly we can’t rely on media to explain what they are doing on our dime, but clearly what has been revealed is the teams are set to play, to score and to win at all costs. Rather than govern we are entertained and kept occupied by the stories of intrigue, secret deals, taped conversations, bribery, suspicion and all the cleverest of plots of any ‘whodunit’ mystery. Society is ripe for mystery television. Look at the sheer number of ‘CSI’ television shows, the ‘Law & Order’ spin offs, the reality t.v. challenges, with man vs man, and man vs nature as the plots.

So let us examine our unique position at this time in history. We have knowledge, we have access to information, albeit deciphering truth from fiction remains an obstacle, but we have the tools to take back our country. The first item on our agenda ought to be removing the façade of what government is, and what it should be.

First I prefer to think of the Parliament buildings as buildings. Nothing more and nothing less. They house our country’s history, but the walls are simply walls, not corridors of power, not bars to keep us out, not a country club or private mansion! Certainly we need tradition and respect for the great decisions made within those walls, and we need to be part of those decisions for them to warrant the reverence they demand.

Second, we need to recognize that the parties that have claimed the right to govern and have used the halls of parliament for their own gain, their personal greed, their feudal territory to the exclusion of the people, need to find another playground. They have chosen to create a party structure within the system of democracy which encourages deals, connections to gain power, prestige and monetary reward for the members within their respective parties. They have designed their parties to encourage corporate donations, to fund the media, the advertising and propaganda campaigns, which add to the aura or image that they chose for themselves. This is no different from a mediocre singer that hires a manager to turn them into a ‘package’ or a saleable, endorsable and believable ‘thing’, a ‘celebrity’, rather than simply a person that sings. Political parties have their own web of intrigue built into the system, which is why we hear about the internal squabbles for party leader, or cabinet posts, or senatorial appointments, patronage appointments and plum jobs. Their choices do not have to be our choices.

Politics has become a game and that game is played with our lives, our environment, our safety and security. Canadians would not gamble with their children’s lives. They would not make a deal that would poison their neighbors’ air, water or soil. They would not suggest to their neighbor that the profit outweighed the risk, so they built their home on an environmental time bomb. They would not agree to feed their children food that was not the very best, most beneficial even if it meant it would cost more to purchase. Canadians would not borrow money from a friend at a high rate of interest, when they could borrow from themselves at a very low or no interest rate!

Canadians have choices today that their parents and grand-parents did not. They have an enormous responsibility and it cannot be taken lightly. We are a generation of comparatively well educated individuals, who are being governed out of the equation called democracy. We are being left out of the loop so to speak. It doesn’t have to be this way. We can look at Ottawa, ‘The Hill’, and see it as an impenetrable fortress for an exclusive group of well connected, rich and powerful, superiorly intelligent beings, who know what is best for the rest of us or we can see it as the building it is. We can seek to infuse the building with truly concerned individuals, willing to seek solutions to the problems we face as human beings on this planet. We can recognize that each member sitting in parliament today gets up in the morning, showers, shaves, puts their pants on one leg at a time, just as we do and that they have no secret power. We can remove the façade and return ‘The Hill’ to the people. The Berlin Wall fell one brick at a time, South Africa overcame Apartheid, and Hitler was removed with the cooperation of human beings. Canada can become a full democracy as the people intended her to be, when the people once again intend it to be!

The truth is we must not fear the responsibility that comes with knowing something is rotten. Too many Canadians have bought the sales pitch. It is not beneath us to make decisions or to be consulted on decisions which affect us. It is not beyond our intellect to expect government to govern. It is not overwhelming to consider educating our children to think for themselves, or to expect Health Canada to protect. To expect that our military will be funded and developed for our protection is not over-reaching. To demand our elected officials be incorruptible, accountable to the electorate, transparent, resourceful and informed is not too high a standard. The point of a party system, is to have like minded individuals bringing their best to the table for the benefit of the entire meal. Today’s sitting parties, have turned the meal into an internal greed fest and selfish display of preferential treatment about who sits next to whom at the table. When they stop the bickering for a moment and notice the others in the room, the fangs come out in full force, meanwhile dinner conversation is lost completely. The entire episode is repeated day after day while the fat get fatter and we are left doing the dishes.

Canadians have been spectators long enough in the games of politics. We are not meant to be sitting in the backyard, while the rich and powerful make decisions around our dinning room table. Those political parties that have created their own internal feuds will implode when they no longer have control over the public purse. Parties are only as effective as they chose to be. They serve who they owe their loyalty to. If they are supported and funded by the public, they will serve the public. The term ‘public servant’ must reflect its meaning by the actions taken. It is up to the electorate to decide if an individual candidate has the tools through a party to serve the public in the public’s best interest or if the candidate is merely a tool for the party to use the public to serve itself and its members?

Empowering every Canadian to seek the keys to the front door of our government is not impossible. We all have the keys. The mystery is in locating them within our own character and making the conscious decision to place them ceremoniously and decisively in the lock. Once we recognize our own power to act, we will turn the key and unlock our freedom and our future! Or will we drop the keys and walk away saying, ‘I’ll think about it tomorrow’?

[Proofreader's note: this article was edited for spelling and typos on October 3, 2005]

The problem is that it has been easy for powermongers to control Canadians, because it has been part of our traditional colonial culture to defer to our "betters". Our betters may no longer be the same aristocrats and Family Compact elitists, but we've still been programmed to do and think what the "big people" tell us to do.

Until we've broken that spell of soft authoritarianism and learned to stand up to our elites, be they business, political, bureaucratic, artistic or academic, we will be simple, voiceless drones.

Our politics in Canada is essentially a battle between right-wing and left-wing elites, with most of us nothing more than spectators or pawns in this game.

The notion of a "political class" has to disappear, and be replaced by a "citizen class" that takes direct responsibility for our society.

Blind faith in any institution is an invitation to tyranny. We must be skeptical of all "leaders", whether elected or self-appointed. If they truly "work for us", then we need to be more dutiful supervisors.

Couldn't agree more Whelan.
The key question of course is;Where is the public?
The saying you can lead a horse to water,but you can't make it drink.
The public is not informed and they do not want to be informed.Want proof?The last B.C. election.
How do you get through to the majority?If I had an answer I would state it.Yes we have an opportunity right now that has never existed before.The nation has spoken though.The public is not interested.

Anon you said perfectly!
WE do have to supervise these people and the process.

I think your comments and observations are valid. We need to look under the bed or in the closet and find the boogey man, look him/her in the eye and realize it is not a boogey man but a sock under the bed. Too many Canadians are intimidated by politics, not realizing it is controlling our lives, we can't afford to be afraid of it, or ignore it, or deny its existence. We have to look it in the eye and make the changes necessary before it is too late. Remember back in the days when doctors didn't want us to know anything, they had all the answers. But many people started educating themselves, and realized that doctors did the best they could, they didn't have all the answers then or now. Most doctors today will admit it, years ago they would not. Parents do the same thing to suppress their children's fears, but we are not childen. It is the same as politics.

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If I stand for my country today...will my country be here to stand for me tomorrow?

Well Catherine, I could not have said it better myself.

The bottom line is how do you, " we " get that very message to the people needed to turn this political monster around?

But more important, who do you feel those people are?

In most political systems, the wealthy rule. This is history from the days Kings allowed others to rule. The poor hold the key on election day but as history has shown,are duped by expensive ad campaigns and political contributors. Martin,Blair and Bush don't come from the rough end of town nor their parents on welfare. As we get older we realize that nothing ever changes. Every "party" that takes the reins puts the blinders on at the first step. The vote has always been for the lesser of evils and recently that choice is getting impossible. The alternative is for absolutely everyone to stop voting. Grind the system to a halt. Demand representation by those you trust and want. Telecast to every politican now standing that you do not want them. Whats the point of getting the politicans to go through the trials and tribulations and bringing that point home for you?

Ok!Anyone out there have any ideas how we can use the internet/television to literally tell these politicians NO!
To actually change the system?

Well Boflaade, I have already informed the Liberal, NDP and Conservatives that their candidates are not wanted on my property. Here in the Coady household we will record that we reported to the poling station, but will draw an X through the ticket.

We use to support the Liberals or NDP with a small donation..carry their sign and yes I have even helped out... BUT NO MORE!

We do not even read their bull poop propaganda , it goes right into the trash. I truly feel that the shift we are seeing in the demographics here in Canada is the biggest threat to these old political parties, we see this in the declining membership.

I would think that if there was ever an opportunity to introduce a new political party which is totally driven by grass roots citizens and to reclaim a peoples power based "government" , rather than this white collar professional monster we have now, then we better get started.

These old political parties are so dam scared they are going to lose control of power, thay are importing their voter base from other countries. The Liberal are very good at this.

We all know that immigration is a healthy process for Canada, but the Liberals for years have played the "You" owe the Liberal Party your vote, because we let you into Canada. You see those of us who have been rooted in this country are not as ready as we once were, to be sucked into this load of crap these old parties have been preaching
for years, they had us believing they were "democracy".

We have matured and are ready to flush them down the sewer, right where they belong. Demorgaphic change is our chance to make a big difference.

Sorry again, but the above post is mine. As far as what tools can we use to get the message out there, I might suggest hitting the political science class at our universities.
You see the old professors teaching are geared to the old parties, mainly because the Universities Board of Governors are made up of old party political hacks. Universities depend of "government" funding , so the monsters feeds its messenger

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Good government is not a party government

Yes and to answer your question Wayne from back a few, it does start with you and me, and to get the message out, we have to 'like an old commercial used to say' tell two friends, who tell two friends, and so on and so on ....

I agree that the parties of yesteryear, are just that- acting like nothing has changed, business as usual but scared that perhaps the people are waking up. Some people are giving up and that is what they are counting on I presume! These old boys clubs of the rich and greedy are not going to give up without a fight, they believe they are the heirs apparent, that they deserve to be in control, that they know what's best....they are wrong...we can change our country if enough of us decide to get involved, not follow like sheep and support truth over spin.

I admit that I don't know what will be the magic bullet or the key to unlock the consciousness of Canadians, but I do know that historically people have been successful, even in small numbers. Slavery in the U.S. was abolished, not because the slave owners wanted to give up a great lifestyle for themselves, but because little by little humanity was awakened and that is what we need now!

In my particular case, I would like to see people get behind CAP by chosing to run as candidates, if they believe in what we stand for,- which is all things Canadian, including Canadians themselves. I would like to see the David Orchard supporters ask David to either run, or declare his support for a party, or otherwise encourage them to stand for Canada and not give up. Sadly I get emails from his followers saying, 'what's the point'...this shocks me, because the point of the cause has not changed, David wasn't the cause, Canada was and still is! We need real leaders not egos, and we need real supporters not people seeking glory for themselves, who cares who has to take out the garbage, everybody has a job in a party or a cause, this really isn't the time or place for Canadians to be caught up in charisma, I think we've had our share of that, and it only adds to the facade, what we need is knowlegeable people willing to roll up their sleeves and get to work!

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If I stand for my country today...will my country be here to stand for me tomorrow?

Catherine I enjoyed your article, similar to Wayne's current posting about our current government. Both of you are able to express through writing, what others like myself have known for such a long time. Wayne-- another tool would be to voluntarily hand out flyers to local residents, pedistrians, etc. Is there some way a person who is not politically educated, like myself, able to print out a very simple message to distribute (by hand and foot)? Since we all come from different areas, we could begin by educating a few of our relatives and neighbours using this method, perhaps providing links on these flyers for further reading or education. I will be happy to spend a few dollars on ink and paper to get the message out there that we DO NEED a new government.

le c49 if you want some CAP posters or brochures I can email them to you and you can select the ones you want to distribute. Let me know, you can email me direct if you want, [email protected]

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If I stand for my country today...will my country be here to stand for me tomorrow?

Universities would be a pretty good place to start, this is where the other three old parties have their youth wings set up. Political science class according to my daughter is a place where they really try to set the students political direction.

One more tool they (old parties) have working for them is universities that teach journalism...this is where the political parties have great influnce... where the reporter of tomorrow is programed to think that any other than the present party system holds the potential of being bad for Canada.

Unions preach that the working man needs the NDP because they are the only party that will lead the charge for the working man / woman . But in actual fact do not stand a snow balls change in hell of ever governing in Canada... because all they are doing is pushing the Liberal agenda and no one wants a real left of center party leading the county, this is why the Liberal have formed Government more than any other.

Canada needs a real center political party, one that can balance between good sound fiscal management and build and maintain a social and public infrastructure..., care obout the world environment and not lie , cheat or steal from the public purse.

Someone posted a while back that maybe we would be better off to not bother going to vote in mass numbers, well that is happening now any way.. the numbers are falling fast. I love watching these party conventions where they draft and vote on the parties policy, the number of people voting on party business is the real party... those who cannot vote are token members, no power. So, as it stands to date, political parties who get to govern Canada are falling into a big black hole.

Just maybe you are correct before we will be able to rebuild Canada's party system , the old one must be collapse first !!!

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Good government is not a party government