JOE CLARK, From Wednesday's Globe and Mail
The immediate question about Canada's election is not who will win, but how open and inclusive the campaign will be.
Elections can confirm bad practices, or change them. Ours need changing.
The tone of federal politics today is the worst I can remember in my 50 years in public life. Of course, there were angry partisan differences before, but they were tumultuous exceptions to a general rule of common public purpose, even civility. By contrast, the standard today has become consistently bitter and negative - personal invective routinely displaces any serious discussion of issues or differences.
This low standard helps corrode respect for the democratic institutions in which this mean drama plays out. It comes at a bad time, because there has been a general decline in the reputation of politicians, parties, legislatures and other institutions. Cynicism grows. Candidates are hard to attract. Citizens turn away from politics - especially young people, who see nothing to attract or inspire them. That constitutes a long-term threat to the authority of the pan-Canadian political institutions that have always been essential for citizens of this diverse democracy to act positively together.
For Canadians concerned about democracy, the question is not why the Green Party should be let in. The question is: Why should the Greens be kept out?
--more--
Joe Clark was the 16th prime minister of Canada.
The immediate question about Canada's election is not who will win, but how open and inclusive the campaign will be.
Elections can confirm bad practices, or change them. Ours need changing.
The tone of federal politics today is the worst I can remember in my 50 years in public life. Of course, there were angry partisan differences before, but they were tumultuous exceptions to a general rule of common public purpose, even civility. By contrast, the standard today has become consistently bitter and negative - personal invective routinely displaces any serious discussion of issues or differences.
This low standard helps corrode respect for the democratic institutions in which this mean drama plays out. It comes at a bad time, because there has been a general decline in the reputation of politicians, parties, legislatures and other institutions. Cynicism grows. Candidates are hard to attract. Citizens turn away from politics - especially young people, who see nothing to attract or inspire them. That constitutes a long-term threat to the authority of the pan-Canadian political institutions that have always been essential for citizens of this diverse democracy to act positively together.
For Canadians concerned about democracy, the question is not why the Green Party should be let in. The question is: Why should the Greens be kept out?
--more--
Joe Clark was the 16th prime minister of Canada.
*The Globe and Mail
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