Skip to main content

“I am a Canadian, free to speak without fear, free to worship in my own way, free to stand for what I think right, free to oppose what I believe wrong, or free to choose those who shall govern my country. This heritage of freedom I pledge to uphold for myself and all mankind.” ~~ John G. Diefenbaker

FELDSTED: Political parties don’t stand for anything except winning power. We deserve better, but things only get better if we work at it


Every four years, we elect 338 Members of Parliament. All of them are humans with the frailty’s which all humans share. We say dumb things, make mistakes, apologize, pick ourselves up, learn from our errors, and get on with life a bit wiser.

Applying this to Karen Wang and the comments attributed to her, and then seeing her disallowed from running because a comment might negatively reflect on the federal Liberal party, is an affront to democracy.

Our political system has been turned upside down. If elected, Ms Wang’s job would have been to represent the people of Burnaby South to the best of her ability -- not to defend or protect the image or decisions of a political party.

MPs have been turfed from a party for failing to toe the party line – are we okay with that?  Political parties telling our representative how they must behave, what they can and cannot say, and how they will vote on public issues should not be acceptable to Canadians.

Since when did party disciple trump an elected MP from representing the people?  Some MPs have changed party allegiance, because they had strong opposing feelings on an issue, and could not find support in their current party.  How is this looked at within the political system?  Senior party officials have a fit when MPs jump ship.  However, we should be revolted by that!  Our elected officials are not in parliament to serve any political party.


The strategists hired by a party leader’s office, together with unelected party officials, are running the country – and they are in an all-out war with one another. They are focused on positioning their party to keep or regain political power.

Influencing the vote is paramount; the only thing that counts.  
They will say or promise anything to get your vote.
They have no intention of delivering on their promises.
Representing the people, and acting in their best interests,
are not even on the agenda.

We can change that by ignoring the millions spent on political advertising, and electing candidates committed to represent us. Political parties don’t stand for anything except winning power. We deserve better, but things only get better if we work at it.

We don’t have to accept excuses for failing to act in our best interests. We don’t have to allow political parties to set the agenda for dialogue. We can demand answers and rally to support important causes.

Collectively, we need to make party officials, and leaders, squirm in their chairs and lose a lot of sleep until they return to democratic governance on behalf of us all.

The days of political party rule are over, or at the least, should be!   
                  
John Feldsted
Political Consultant & Strategist
Winnipeg, Manitoba
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

'Very good news' that Supreme Court will hear B.C. mineral claims case, Eby says

The BC government needs clarity from the Supreme Court of Canada on a landmark mineral rights claim, Premier David Eby says. But the lawyer representing the challenger says that they would have preferred the province respect the lower court's decision. Eby said Thursday it is very good news that the court will hear its appeal of a ruling that found the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the provincial mineral claims regime are "inconsistent." The BC Court of Appeal ruled in December that the provincial Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act, or DRIPA, should be "properly interpreted" to incorporate the UN declaration into the laws of B.C. with immediate legal effect. That ruling set off the appeal from the province amid concerns that it could cause economic uncertainty ... CLICK HERE for the full story 
Post a Comment
Read more

EBY OFFSIDE WITH NATIONAL INTEREST AS CARNEY AND SMITH BUILD BC'S ECONOMIC FUTURE WITHOUT HIM ~~ BC Conservatives

IMAGE CREDIT :  CBC News   Prime Minister Mark Carney and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith announced a landmark agreement today committing Ottawa to designate a new pipeline to BC's west coast as a project of national interest by October 1, 2026, with construction approval targeted for September 1, 2027. The deal pairs the pipeline with a new industrial carbon pricing framework and a fall 2027 construction start. British Columbia, the province where the pipeline ends, where the jobs would land, and where the export terminal would be built, was nowhere at the table. "This is a nation-building deal, and the BC NDP have been locked out of the room," said Trevor Halford, Interim Leader of the Official Opposition.  "While the Prime Minister and the Premier of Alberta were doing the hard work of growing the Canadian economy, the NDP is on the sidelines calling this pipeline a 'fiction' and an 'energy vampire.'  He chose petulance over partnership, and now BC ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Kamloops - North Thompson BC Conservative MLA Ward Stamer speaks to Bill 20 — K’ómoks Treaty Act

The following is a condensed version of Kamloops – North Thompson MLA Ward Stamer’s remarks, to the BC Legislature, on the afternoon of Tuesday May 19th : I rise today to continue remarks on Bill 20, the K’ómoks treaty, and to address what I believe are some of the most important constitutional, democratic and governance concerns facing this Legislature today. At the centre of this debate are two major issues. First, unresolved overlapping territorial boundaries tied to this treaty process. And second, the growing legal and political consequences arising from the provincial government’s implementation of the Declaration of Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act, more commonly known as DRIPA. Much of the government’s defence on DRIPA rests upon references to the United Nations declaration on the rights of Indigenous Peoples, commonly known as UNDRIP. And this is where we must begin having a more honest and mature conversation in this province. UNDRIP was never originally designed to function ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Labels

Show more