May 28, 2009 - 04:30 AM
By Adam Mercer
It seems these days many people, especially young people, have lost their faith in "the system."
To be completely honest, it doesn't matter what system you refer to: our collective belief in it seems to be waning. Why is it happening?
The political system is the best example of this loss of faith. As evidence I can only offer two things; according to the City of Oshawa, voter turnout has dropped from a high of 51.7 per cent in 1960, all the way down to 25.1 per cent in 2006; the second piece of evidence is that it seems when I go to vote or participate in a meeting about civic affairs, there are rarely any people there under the age of 35.
There are many experts who insist on a variety of reasons for this happening, but maybe the simple answer is the easiest one. People just don't think the system will work, so why bother?
So why do young people not think the system will work? Well, it might have to do with the impression that politics is no longer about doing "the right thing."
New Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff was recently asked a relatively simple question about Canada's export of asbestos to developing world countries. In reply he said, "Our export of this dangerous product overseas has got to stop."
By almost any standard, this is the right answer as we know this stuff is poison. The fact we package this product and send it to the developing world is atrocious and he was right to say so.
The right thing from an ethical standpoint, however, was not the political right thing. So two days later the Liberal leader said, "What I said. .. is that we have an obligation, it's an international convention, to warn countries to which we export this product so that they know that there are risks for public health. That is all I said. That's my position." Can you say backpedal?
The reason for this change of heart is that in order to get a majority government in Canada, which is Mr. Ignatieff's stated goal, he needs to generate significant support in Quebec. The Province of Quebec is the main producer of asbestos in Canada. The man in charge of the asbestos lobby in Quebec used to be the leader of the Quebec Federation of Labour. Might the Liberals be trying to avoid a campaign against them from the labour movement?
There was a time when politicians used to be able to say things to the electorate to the effect that they needed to be in office so that they could exercise their good judgment on behalf of the people who put them in office. Given this specific example, one has to wonder if there are any politicians left who can honestly say they want to be elected to office so they can do the right thing by voters, regardless of how unpopular it might be in some quarters.
Oshawa resident Adam Mercer is a frequent contributor to this space.
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