Domestic Politics

Cure my Electoral-Reform-Induced Consultation Anxiety 

Zachary Voth 

Ottawa, ON. 

October 7, 2016 


I think a new term is going to have to start entering the Canadian lexicon: Consultation anxiety.

A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to attend one of the Liberal government's consultations on democratic reform, and I think that term is the best way to describe how I felt about it.

At the beginning, we were informed that we would skip the bulk of the prepared Library of Parliament presentation to make room for us to speak. Rather than listen to experts, we as the consulted public would simply be asked what we wanted with our new electoral system.

Town Hall

On the one hand, that's a nice way to go about things, if you want an unbiased review. There would exist a temptation, since these events are largely being held by Members of Parliament, to seek out experts who support the option favored by the organizer's party. Not consulting any experts at meetings fixes that problem.

On the other hand, that's a hell of a lot of pressure on the consultation group. We already have to represent all of our fellow citizens in the reform process. (Because not everyone can be a keener going to a four hour public consultation at 18:00 on a Saturday, can they?) Now we have to do it without the help of experts? What if we get it wrong? We're only a tiny sliver of the voting public, after all!

Hence my consultation anxiety. If we had a referendum, at least that would take some of the heat off. If we like the result, we can all be proud of ourselves and give/receive a well deserved pat on our collective back. If it goes wrong, we can bemoan the stupidity of the rest of the electorate. Everyone feels good, with an anonymous referendum. If you win, you're happy, if you lose, it's somebody else's fault.

If this democratic reform does not eventually include a plebiscite, and we screw up our elections somehow, that will now not be the case. It will be the fault of the groups that were allegedly consulted throughout the process! As an individual who was told that their opinion mattered and that it would impact the eventual new electoral system, I had better not screw up, lest I feel responsible when the Liberals stay in office for 32 years or when the Mario Party holds the balance of power in Parliament.

Ask everyone at once, via referendum. Give consultees a break. Some of us are anxious enough from all the shouting as it is.

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