What Canadians Told the Spicer Commission
Section 9 of the Spicer Commission Report, titled Responsible
Leadership and Participatory Democracy, includes the
following opinions of the commissioners of the Citizen's Forum on
Canada's Future on what some people thought was lacking in the country:
"One of the strongest messages the Forum received
from
participants was that they have lost their faith in both the
political process and their political leaders. They do not feel
that their governments, especially at the federal level, reflect
the will of the people, and they do not feel that citizens have
the means at the moment to correct this. Many of them, especially
outside Quebec, are prepared to advocate and to support
substantial changes to the political system if these would result
in a responsive and responsible political process, and in
responsive and responsible political leaders. "Participants'
desire for these changes is related to a loss
of faith, on their part, that the existing political system will
make decisions which reflect their values and aspirations for
the country [our emphasis]. To the extent
that reforms
can be made which would restore this faith, participants' demand
for direct participation in decision-making would be less. In
other words, they would like major decisions affecting them to be
made in a responsible manner, and in a manner that is responsive
to both the expressed views and the general well-being of
citizens. (p. 96)." Some of the responses of the
citizens that the Forum published
as part of its report follow: "Honesty and spirit
of service to the people -- none of the
other issues can be addressed without such a good-will from all
parties. At present Parliament is a 'charade' of political
gamesmanship." (From a couple in their 70's, in Ontario) "The
group wants our elected officials to get off their
collective butts and start 'leading' this country." (From a group
in Manitoba) "We can't be fooled into thinking that
all we need is to find
the right formula and everything will be fine. Our political
leaders are bankrupt, and lack vision or mandate." (From a group
in Manitoba) "There isn't a thing we can do. We
vote in a government that
says they will make things better or whatever else they say...
When have they kept a promise? But it doesn't matter what I
think. I am 14; no one listens..." (From a junior high school
student in Ontario) "Just terrible the way they
carry on in Parliament like unruly
children. Bad tempered brats, no control, quarrelling between
parties. Why don't they get together and use their better ideas."
(From a group in Ottawa) "Political priorities are
not necessarily national
priorities... Grassroots organizations should be consulted to a
greater level." (From a group in New Brunswick) "There
is a vacuum of leadership, with no clear vision and
purpose, to our national destiny, and graft, corruption and
inefficiency prevail, in a burdensome bureaucracy of legality and
taxation." (From a letter from Quebec) The report
emphasizes that the theme underlying all the
comments heard by the commissioners is the demand for responsive
and responsible leadership to deal with a wide-range of
problems: "...on management of the economy, on
treatment of Aboriginal
peoples, on constitutional change and the place of Quebec in the
federation, on bilingualism and multiculturalism. In all these
areas, citizens have told us they do not feel governed according
to their wishes and their fundamental values. (p. 98)" On
the media: "...commissioners were often told that
the media must take a
considerable share of the blame for focusing on our divisions,
for not doing enough to convey basic, reliable information, and
for failing to show us to ourselves in a constructive manner. A
group discussion participant in Islington, Ontario, put it
succinctly: Media: a major source of misinformation and
confusion. "In many cases, participants
expressed the view that what they
saw as the media's emphasis on confrontation and editorializing
distorted the presentation of issues and increased the chances
that problems would turn into crises: "The media has done as much
harm in reporting on such things as Quebec separatist feeling and
on Meech Lake. The media has blown things out of proportion and
sensationalized," said a group in Manitoba. A participant in
Merville, BC said, "[the] media must stop emphasizing our
differences and concentrate more on those things which we have in
common which unite us." The Forum commissioners
then conclude: "It is clear to us that Forum
participants are charging not
just political leaders, but also the media, with a responsibility
to adhere to fundamental Canadian values in fulfilling their role
in our future." The Forum commissioners report that
most participants believe
in the values of "equality, fairness and co-operation" (p. 99)
but that they feel the media and those who govern are not
upholding these values. The notion of equality is
for individuals, for provinces and
regions of Canada. There is, as well, a strong rejection of
privilege for any province. The lack of fairness was emphasized
by various groups such as Acadians, Aboriginals, anglophones in
Quebec, francophones outside Quebec, westerners and
easterners. Others emphasize the need for
co-operation if we are to
achieve the type of Canada we desire. There is a general feeling
that this is an improbable country with a large area and a small
population, strung out in a line of cities bordering the U.S.
Participants felt that co-operation must be active among
Canadians, not passive. The vast majority
participating in the Forum do not agree that
government has been operating with their values and aspirations
at heart. The commissioners say sadness and disappointment were
expressed, but most commonly it was anger at the federal
politicians, in particular, that they encountered. They cite the
following quotations: "...lack of vision is the
actual reason behind your forum. The
Prime Minister, his Cabinet, his Party, indeed all parties and
all the legislative assemblies all lack vision. None have been,
none are capable of seeing a new future for Canada and when we
call for a proposal, they admit to a lack of one." "...another
problem is the Prime Minister's inability to keep
in touch with the public. Most people are against Free Trade,
GST, cutbacks (just to name a few) but he still rams it down our
throats whether we like it or not." "Our three
political leaders are not committed to intellectual
integrity." "The secrecy involved in the Meech Lake
process must never
happen again. The government alone is responsible for the broad
feeling of disunity in Canada. Its handling of issues reflecting
Canadian unity is deplorable." "The people who
haven't got the message -- and don't want to
hear it -- are the politicians, particularly our Prime Minister.
He will do his desperate best to go to the decentralized route
even if it means the dismemberment of the country. If he loses
Quebec, he loses his power base. The scary part is that many
premiers wouldn't mind this more-power-to the provinces scenario
at all." The commissioners note that there is a
widespread perception
that: "... the work of parliament has little
meaning, since the
government controls parliament and other elected representatives
have little or no opportunity for significant input. Forum
participants have told us that, were they to believe that the
government of the day is doing things which they have voted on
and approved, this might be tolerable. As it is, the actions of
the government, once in power, seem to bear little
resemblance
to the party platform in an election campaign. [Our
emphasis]
Major policies are developed and enacted during a mandate which
either were never mentioned or received little attention during a
campaign. In the words of one participant: "...
people feel there is a lack of significant communication
between the general population and the government, that
politicians once elected do not act as if accountable to the
people." The Commission had its own ideas which the
commissioners said
reflected a demand of the people that there be mechanisms which
require members of parliament to consult their constituents on
major issues, or give the members more freedom to vote according
to their constituents' wishes. One Ontario person said: "The
government must be changed. We must have a system whereby
our elected representatives truly represent and reflect the
wishes of their constituents." A group in Ontario
said: "The often repeated argument 'I was elected
to make decisions
and do not need the opinions of constituents' is not acceptable
in a modern country with a highly educated population." Another
said: "The major flaw in our country today is the
abuse of democracy
so prevalent at both federal and provincial levels. Our
politicians are not listening to us, but are driven by party
solidarity." A person from the Yukon said:
"We can speak only twice a decade. Then we must suffer the
indignity of being told, 'The people of Canada have elected me
therefore...' We have learned to distrust this method. It is not
up to politicians to effect a change in the fabric of the
country... They must listen to the people rather than a battery
of advisors. This cannot be done by polls. Socrates demonstrated
that questions predict answers." A British
Columbian said: "MPs who are elected should answer
to their constituents and
in the Commons according to the majority consensus of their
constituents in matters of national importance." There
were also voiced a number of demands for the right to
recall members of parliament. "The citizens should
have the power to recall a member if he
fails to act in the interests of the country, and fails to
present bills or argue for the rights and betterment of the
citizenry and the country." "The Constitution must
be amended to provide a way to impeach
politicians who do not carry out the wishes of their
constituents. If they are not carrying out their constituents'
mandates they must be replaced." A commonly
expressed opinion was crystallized in the following
view: "As for the government itself, recall and
direct
responsibility to the electorate should be implemented. You do
not rule us, you work for us. Stop being so secretive, try
honesty and straightforwardness. The people of this country are
thirsting for an honest government." Of the two
most popular mechanisms suggested for changes, one
was for more use of referenda on major policy issues. The second
was the creation of a constituent assembly to draft a new
constitution: "Set up a constituent assembly
independent of government, with
equitable representation from each province (or region) and
territory, and from aboriginal groups." A writer
from Nova Scotia added: "Put an end to executive
federalism." (For the full report on what Canadians
told the Spicer
Commission see: A Future to
Face: A Non-Partisan Approach to
Canada's Post-Referendum Problems, 1992. For
the Spicer Commission's Report to
the People and Government of Canada click here.)
This article was published in
Volume 50 Number 48 - December 12,
2020
Article Link:
What Canadians Told the Spicer Commission
Website: www.cpcml.ca
Email: editor@cpcml.ca
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