Canadian Politics

by Stu




    While our country and the rest of the world is anxiously glued to the events of American politics, I've found myself more and
more subdued by the daily course of the parliamentary activities of Canada. I find it uneasy to discover the common reaction to
Canadian politics from most people in our country to be that of indifference and ignorance. We may not be a commanding influence
of international celebrity status as a nation, or caught up in the scale of dilemmas that effect each one of us in a drastically
equal way, but the matters of the national agenda should still be of a more articulate attention if not graver concern to us
whose jurisdiction we live in.



    If one thing is unknown it is probably the entertainment that can be had while watching members of parliament vigorously slander
and flail each other. Tempers and voices raise high in the House of Commons every day during question period when accusations and
rebuttals are thrown between the parties. Suggestive quips and pious remarks often energize the room to a grand scene, yet
there's no doubt also that a humourous revitalization is always sporadically present.



    It's true that both the offensive and defensive rhetoric thrown about can be both tedious and frustrating. Many often wonder
whether our MPs are honestly utilizing their potential in getting their jobs done, or if they are too easily caught up in a game
of words, definitions and official status. Consistently, little or none of the issues are materially dealt with as members would
rather question each other's integrity by pointing out wrong doings and mistakes. Then, rather than admitting or addressing even
the obvious, evasive techniques are regurgitated and many issues are left idle. Such is politics I suppose; that is, the politics
of being a jerk.



    Those running our government often forget that they are servants of a people who formed them. While they should not forget this,
they should perhaps invigorate the ideology that the members of each party, all being as equal citizens as those they represent,
are servants of each other. Especially considering the unique minority situation of today's House of Commons, instead of endlessly
vying for the egotistical frat-house integrity of their party's infallibility, the need for humble cooperation between officials
may be, as usual, the primary aid to progress.