As we all
watched the bizarre proceedings in the city of Toronto, and the consequences of
the mayor’s behaviour, I think these events are symptomatic of a larger problem
in Canadian politics. The mayor of Toronto will not step aside, no matter what
the cost to his city, because he feels an entitlement to his position. I
believe there is a culture of entitlement within our political realm that bodes
ill for the future of local, regional and national governance.
There is an
incredible arrogance in politics today; an elitist sense of entitlement and an
attitude that we know better than you so just shut up and let us get on with
it. This is evident in Vancouver too. From Mayor Robertson calling people who
disagree with him ‘f-ing hacks’, to Cllr Meggs calling Grandview-Woodlands
‘dead in the water’ because some of the residents disagree with Visions
development plans. What has happened to
respectful dialogue?
Vision
Parks Commissioner Aaron Jasper is becoming famous for his re-inventions of the
truth when anyone disagrees with him. When I called for a plebiscite on
whales in captivity he claimed that my motion 'knowingly put the Park Board at
risk of a lawsuit'. This was after the City legal department had vetted the
motion and Jasper himself, as Chair of the Board, had put it on the agenda. More
recently a Park Board motion, to form an advisory group to review and make
recommendations on the Kitsilano /Hadden park portion of the Seaside Greenway
Route, was defeated by Vision because, as Jasper said, it proposed the
committee would have an ‘overriding power’ to direct the Park Board. The motion
said no such thing.
When our
elected politicians make up the truth to suit their ends, when they belittle
and insult the public because some disagree, when they hold contempt for the
very citizens they are supposed to represent, then we know we have a crisis in
democracy.
This
contempt is not only restricted to the civic level. From Gordon Campbell saying
one thing about the GST before the election and another afterward, to the
federal crisis in robocalls, Senate expenses and payoffs, and the contempt
shown on both sides of the aisle in our legislatures and parliament, I believe our
democracy is dire in trouble.
To me
leadership isn’t running out in front and expecting everyone else to follow,
nor is it telling citizens that we know better than you so shut up and put up.
To me leadership is finding out where people want to go and then finding the
way to get them there. It’s telling people the hard truths and realities, and
helping them adjust to a changing landscape. It is working to better the lives
of everyone, not just the ones that think like they do.
Our elected leaders need to talk less and
listen more. They need more humility and less a sense of entitlement. They need
to be open-minded and resourceful.
Honesty and
respect may sound old fashioned, but they are the cornerstones of a civil
society. Our leaders need to lead by modelling the behaviours we need to face
the challenges that lie ahead.
