No Labels

I was fascinated to read Susan Delacourt's recent blog posting "Chretien: The Modern Conservative?" in which she points to some of the ironies in the Manning Centre's recent conclusion that Canada is surely becoming more Conservative. Pollster Allan Gregg, one of the participants, made an observation that might have been well off the mark: "What I think you are seeing here is something almost the equivalent of end-of-ideology epoch. There are no major differences left among the electorate in terms of directionally where we should be going." I can just hear Delacourt ruminating in her head: "Well, if there are now no distinctions in the electorate, how do you figure they are becoming more Conservative?"To some of us, this was the Manning's Centre's rather cumbersome attempt at self-promotion. For those of us involved heavily in public life there remain clear distinctions among the citizens of Canada, differences that manifested themselves again in the results of the most recent federal election. Take a look at any Chamber of Commerce or regional directory in the country and look at the lists - the diversity is impressive. And with such diversity comes political leanings; that's just a given. Most of these voices, however, have given up on looking to politics for solutions.No, what has changed in this country isn't the blurring of distinctions between citizens but the lack of alternatives being offered them from the political class. In other words, and this is difficult for me personally to admit, the political class itself has become homogenous, frustratingly unimaginative, and firmly coalesced around the idea that power, no matter what the cost, is all that really matters. What distinguishes them is often the strategies and tactics used to acquire that power and maintain it, not so much the policies themselves.Whatever Canadians are becoming is something that lies beyond the political stereotypes. Average citizens are hesitant to identify themselves by any brand. Why would you when politics has descended into derision? But to assume, as the Manning Centre has, that citizens therefore lack distinction and definition is to underestimate the great diversity of values that fill this country and give it meaning. Is becoming more Conservative something akin to blandness? Just because politics doesn't matter as much doesn't mean people don't hold strong and varied opinions on community, provincial and national life. As noted in a previous post last week, the erosion of the political accountability in the eyes of the public is serious, and the act of attempting to revive the party system might easily fail to address the true source of that erosion.Politics is a human invention and it expanded rapidly only when communities realized that what they required to function might be better served by a professional class. With the birth of the party system, communities enjoyed the ability of measuring each party's policies and vision before having to make a choice. And for a lengthy time it worked so remarkably that Canada rose in prominence and efficiency in the world. But no more, at least not to as great a degree. Communities now look at the political class and say, "What are you doing with our money, with our belief in federalism, with the ominous challenges every community now faces? Are you even listening?" As the answer increasingly becomes "maybe," citizens and communities rightly look elsewhere.I was in Parliament for over four years and I could clearly spot the distinctions in my peers. Each MP joined a party that best reflected his or her values and it was a delight to witness that diversity. But all that was frequently shunted aside as the elites in each party sought the advantage over their competitors and prompted the MPs to play along. When that happened, everyone ran to their own respective corner and blended in with the party colour. Politics is meant to be better than this, with MPs standing up for the own ridings far more often than the need to always just side with the party. I met progressives in every single party in the House, had drinks with them, commiserated on policy, and wished for a better day. Then we shuffled into the House and it was all put aside.If we don't really know what a Conservative truly stands for anymore, it's only because they are more interested in power than in distinctions that represent communities and the national interest. The same is true for the other parties to one degree or another. If power is all that is worth pursuing, then the citizens will spot it instantly and sign off. That's what the Manning Centre missed and something which in its own way helped to create. Enough with the labels already. Let's define ourselves by our greatest challenges, calling on our communities to be the first into the breach. And then let's support local citizens as they tackle the great fears and opportunities of the day. The federal party that first does that might win the only label that really matters: legitimate.