LEDREW: Canadians face 'democratic deficit' at crucial time in history

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In Canada, we have a democratic deficit. And before you say ”so what?” realize that it is costing you a lot of money, liberties, and safety.

First, what is the democratic deficit?

It is the fact that Canada is being run by one guy, Prime Minister Mark Carney, who calls all the shots.

In other democracies around the world, elected representatives are working as you read this.

In France, committees of elected deputies are reviewing spending and budgets (we don’t even have a budget).

In Britain, MPs are in London, making trouble for the incompetent Labour government.

In Washington, Members of Congress are is session, debating the issues of the day.

Where are Canadian MPs? In their ridings, or on the beach.

Yes, some are working with constituents, but what about holding the PM to account?

They sat for four weeks in the spring, then left Ottawa, promising to return mid-September.

Who is making the decisions in the all-important battle with Trump, that will shape Canada for generations? Carney.

Who is making decisions on spending? Carney.

Who is making decisions on immigration? Carney.

Who is making decisions on law and order matters?

You guessed it: Carney.

Now, as some readers will say, what about his cabinet?

Except for a few strong ministers, Carney’s cabinet has been reduced to a dispirited rag-tag band of MPs revelling in their good fortune of having been elevated, but with very little decision-making authority.

This is not all the fault of Carney. It started with Trudeau One, and was finely-honed to its present autocracy by his son, delegating all decisions to his unelected assistants. Remember that Trudeau letter to senior government officials ordering them to accept all instructions from his close advisors as though that instruction came from Justin himself?

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But what about Parliament?

Doesn’t it really control the levers of government?

Not since the time when it sat often, when the Opposition could hold the government to account, and the independent press ( Note: Press not given undisclosed buckets of cash by the government) would report on the success or failures of the government, for the voters to judge.

Heard anything about any scandal or controversy coming out of question period lately?

Not bloody likely: Parliament really doesn’t matter anymore, even when it does sit.

And it should, because, otherwise, we have left it up to the PM to make all the decisions.

This is the man who declared in the campaign that his only assets were real estate and cash.

Liar.

This is the man who has written a best-seller (oh-so-tellingly entitled Virtues), detailing the evils of oil and gas, who once convinced major banks to withhold financing from those murderous oil and gas companies, who claimed to be four-square with that nincompoop, anti-fuel Greta Thunberg, only now to be outed as holding shares of American oil and gas companies — personally profiting from the products that he has been declaring for years were dooming mankind.

Such a hypocrite!

Sort of like discovering that the Church of England has been paying for its ecclesiastical robes with cash from the sale of bullets!

So doesn’t it seem thoughtful and accountable and responsible and democratic that we should be listening to opinions on all the important matters that are on the government’s plate at the moment, so the government might have the benefit of the thoughts of not only the elected MPs, but Canadian citizens?

Debate on the most consequential issues in generations that need to be decided — like what kind of Canada are we building?

A self-reliant country that can stand on its own two feet?

A country where law and order outweighs the tribal battles of people who now fight in our streets?What a novel idea!

Government by the people.

We should try it.

— Stephen LeDrew is host of The Three Minute Interview and the Stephen LeDrew Show on NewsForum