You Say You Want A Revolution?

In fairness, those who corrupt language for the sake of an agenda could only get away with it if their hearers blindly accept what’s being said. For most of Canada’s existence there was a kind of fairness indicator or ethical monitor operating in the Canadian context that, while understanding language was often used to achieve a certain goal, would push back if there was deceit or even lying in the effort.Times have changed; the fabrications within advertising have found their kin in federal politics. We understand that most claims made in television commercials are excessive, even misleading, but we accept it as standard procedure. But we never extended that grace to politics, at least not very far. To capture just how far our democracy has fallen, think of the words of playwright Noel Coward: “It is discouraging how many people are shocked by honesty and how few by deceit.” Doesn’t this exquisitely describe our age? Authenticity, transparency and humble honesty have become so rare that we are stunned, even inspired, despite our scepticism when it appears. On the other hand, the paltry and petty verbal creations of partisanship merely make us nauseous in their frequency.I’m out of politics now and have attempted to largely steer clear of commenting too much on the national political scene. But something has been occurring for a time now that needs to be talked about, especially in light of these blog posts on why language is so important.In my time in Ottawa it’s likely no one was held in such high respect as Irwin Cotler, MP for Montreal’s Mount Royal district and the former Liberal justice minister. He repeatedly refused to play the game, opting to focus instead on issues of justice and human rights. He gave the Conservative Party his platitudes when he felt they had acted properly, but they also felt the sting of his legal mind when they failed to live up to their promises. Well it turns out that respect means nothing in Ottawa when it comes to aggressive political goals.I went through a similar experience in my last election and was seasoned enough to know it was coming from party central and not from the local Conservative candidate. Nevertheless, all those calls led to one of the most disillusioning realizations of my life.Now think about Irwin Cotler enduring such treatment (read this) from the Conservatives, not for days or months, but years, and you’ll get an idea of how hard it is to believe in government anymore. Cotler called the government out on this a short while ago, lodging an official complaint with the Speaker of the House. At the root was an endless round of phone calls in Mount Royal saying that Cotler was retiring, a by-election would be called, and that people were needed to support the Conservative candidate. The problem was that Cotler stated repeatedly that he would be staying.This is a sad case, and in this instance it is the Conservatives that must shoulder the blame. But it’s in the use of language that the greatest grievance is to be found. When proof emerged that the government was indeed the source of such a shady practice, they first remained silent, then a few days ago owned up to it. From there it only got worse. “We didn’t break any rules,” the party claimed, and one of their MPs, John Williamson, had the gall to add, “This is an important part of the political process.” There was worse to come.Peter Van Loan, the government’s House leader, eventually concluded that if the Speaker ruled against the government in this case then “freedom of speech should forever be repressed.” What? Have we reached the point where a man of deep honour is attacked by dubious claims and purposefully misleading information so that the government can win his seat and their only defense is that it comes with the right of free speech? There is something absolutely dastardly in this, perhaps even mildly evil.Here is where language is used in an attempt to bring about a doubtful outcome. The government is telling the Speaker (a Conservative) that if he should rule in defense of a man’s earned integrity, and against false and admitted accusations, that he would be undermining free speech? There is a deep and abiding moral sickness in this and its chief tool is the abuse of Canadian language.There is only one true reason why the government is undertaking such shameful action – they’re banking on the fact you don’t care. In other words, our ambivalence has created a situation where falsehood is accepted because it’s ignored. Such is their belief in your integrity as a citizen and the hard-earned respectability of this nation. This is not about policy or partisanship, hidden agendas or open hostility; it is about twisting our language to publicly defile us. And it will only continue until we say enough.It’s time for a revolution – a healthy, open, transparent and honest upheaval of citizenship. It doesn’t matter if you’re Conservative, Liberal, NDP, Green, Bloc, or whatever; you are Canadian and this is beneath the standard of a decent country, and by extension, you.  Your political stripe doesn’t matter. In fact most Canadians don’t even support parties anymore. What is of vital importance is your reputation as a citizen – you either accept this deceit or you revolt. It's as George Orwell said: “During times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act.” Indeed.