It's A Crime

Normally, I wouldn't weigh in on a by-election, opting to let democracy run its course. Trouble is, the current political slugfest underway in Vaughn, Ontario has some remarkably undemocratic aspects to it.Julian Fantino is the star candidate for the Conservatives in the contest, but for most campaign events and debates he has been AWOL, causing some detractors in the riding to put out an Amber Alert for the missing ex-police chief. Another amusing story this morning wondered why Don Cherry would back Fantino when the candidate refused to accept the puck or go into the political corner and take the hits. It is odd, given the high-profile nature of this particular election to see a well-known candidate refuse debates to such a degree that event organizers have criticized Fantino openly for skirting the democratic process.I know what a by-election is like, having faced my own four years ago this week. Such events are different types of campaigns because local issues matter more due to the lack of a general election, and candidates themselves are more separated from their party brand in such a local and isolated contest. I was up against Green Party leader Elizabeth May, a former London mayor, and a former city councillor. It was a gruelling pace, and the debates especially were emotionally hard on the spirit. Some love that kind of stuff - Elizabeth May especially - but for me it was a marathon more akin to an endurance race. Through it all, however, I was aware that national attention was focusing on my community and I wanted it to be seen as the vibrant democratic city that it is. My opponents were all professional and effective at getting their points across. With the country watching, debates and events were well attended and boisterous. It was one of the hardest things I have ever undertaken, but I went to the debates because, since this was a democracy and I was expected to play my part in it as a candidate, it was my duty to my community to be there, regardless of how alienating the experience. When it was all over, it wasn't just me but London, Ontario that prevailed because it showed itself capable of putting forward keen candidates who understood their responsibility to democracy.Which makes this Fantino thing so hard to understand. I met Julian a number of times when he was police chief in London and he gave off the impression that he wasn't afraid to take on anyone, including biker gangs and street crime. He took that same "in your face" spirit to his position as the head of the OPP. What is it about a debate, then, that gets him to back off? He's a good man and an efficient officer; why then the reticence? Perhaps, because of his profile, the Conservatives are highly confident that he will ultimately prevail and they don't want him to be caught saying anything that would undermine that effort. Fantino takes second place to nobody when it comes to speaking his mind - until now, that is.In the end, this isn't about which candidate will win but about the vibrancy of the community of Vaughn itself. It's an important riding and I'm sure it expects to be well-represented. How does it feel about having a candidate dropped into the race who actually doesn't want to meet local citizens in the politically charged atmosphere of a by-election? Will the good people of Vaughn opt for someone who didn't opt for them when it was time to put political ideas forward? What about local citizens who honestly want to hear where the candidates stand on issues? That is as democratic as the debates between John A. MacDonald and Wilfred Laurier.This is about democracy and its relevancy. If a high-profile candidate whom the public is trying to get the measure of decides to subvert the political process by denying the democratic process, where does that leave us? Democratically speaking, it's a crime - an affront to representative democracy and the importance of citizen choice as the basis of political legitimacy. If the Conservatives are depending on the fact that the people of Vaughn won't care about an absent candidate, then only the citizens of that riding can restore the legitimacy of their instincts by opting for those candidates that put their name on the line in the name of grassroots democracy. Biker gangs can be nothing compared to an affronted citizenry.