Hyper-partisanship diminishes voter choice

Growing up in a working-class family in our Canadian democracy, all of my life has been about choice. I could choose whether to go to college, university, or straight to work; whether to marry or remain single; whether to have children or simply be a good aunt; and who to vote for at the federal, provincial, and municipal levels. Sherry Moran is a retired lawyer and federal government executive who has served on the boards of directors for Dying with Dignity Canada. Photograph courtesy of Sherry Moran I have always supported having multiple strong federal and provincial parties. In fact, I have donated to and voted for three parties throughout my 40-plus years of voting. It has saddened me in recent years to see the federal Conservative and Green parties struggling as they try to find their path forward with the right leader, as well as the implosion of the Ontario Liberal Party in the last two provincial elections. If we don’t have strong parties with clear platforms, our choices are diminished. There are those who will say I am being naive because, in today’s world of social media algorithms, we no longer choose our politicians—instead, they target or choose their voters. I respectfully disagree, and will continue to carefully inform myself before choosing who will receive my vote. This is all context for my greatest concern which is the ever-increasing partisanship shown by today’s politicians. Hyper-partisanship weakens all parties and makes Parliament less effective, thereby eroding democracy. I could choose any number of issues to illustrate the resulting toxic politics of division, but have decided to focus on only one with regard to the Conservative Party of Canada: medical assistance in dying (MAID). The four Conservative Parliamentarians on the Special Joint Committee on MAiD dissented to the recommendations of the other 11 members in the committee’s final report tabled in February. This was despite the committee being comprised of Liberal, Conservative, NDP and Bloc MPs, as well as Conservative, ISG, PSG, and CSG senators. This overly politicized dissent, titled The Liberal Government’s Failures Respecting Medical Assistance in Dying: A Call for Caution Against Repeating Past Mistakes, refers to the Liberals at least 27 times. It even mentions the name of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau three times, which is puzzling because he was not a member of the committee, nor did he provide testimony. Although polls have suggested a strong majority of Canadians support MAID, the only concession to be found in the dissenting report was that Conservative MP Dominique Vien endorsed the committee’s recommendations regarding advance requests for MAID. The only possible reason for the dissenters’ politicized stance is that the Conservative Party simply cannot support anything introduced or promoted by the Liberal government. So everything becomes partisan and political, even though these matters involve our human rights, and despite a strong majority of Canadians and Parliamentarians wanting action on this front. Ironically, the government has just tabled its disappointing response to the special joint committee’s report. The CPC dissenters—apart from Vien—should be happy the government is kicking legislative changes to include advance requests for MAID far down the road. One wonders if the Liberals simply decided the game is not worth the candle in this hyper-partisan and politicized Parliament. But now that the Liberals are no longer promoting advance requests, perhaps the Conservatives could pick up the torch. In his final speech to the House of Commons, former Conservative leader Erin O'Toole stated eloquently: "There are many challenges facing Canada at this time, but there are also incredible opportunities waiting to be seized. However, that is not happening today. Instead of leading, instead of debating our national purpose in this chamber, too many of us are often chasing algorithms down a sinkhole of diversion and division.” There is still time for all parties to turn this toxic approach around, and work with each other on the complex issues facing us today. In many policy areas, there is clearly room to work across party lines in the public interest—including on national security strategy, climate change, income inequality, and reconciliation. I look forward to going back to an era when I knew what parties stood for and not simply what they stood against. That was an era when I had a true choice. Sherry Moran is a retired lawyer and federal government executive who has served on many charitable and non-profit boards of directors over the past 25 years, including with Dying with Dignity Canada. The Hill Times

Hyper-partisanship diminishes voter choice

Ever-increasing partisanship weakens all parties and makes Parliament less effective, eroding democracy. If we don’t have strong parties with clear platforms, our choices are diminished.

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Hyper-partisanship diminishes voter choice

Ever-increasing partisanship weakens all parties and makes Parliament less effective, eroding democracy. If we don’t have strong parties with clear platforms, our choices are diminished.

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