Did you know that you live in a broken country? That’s what
so many people are telling you. The leader of the opposition certainly tells
you. Donald Trump certainly believes it.
Many newspaper columnists tell you almost every day. That we must be in so much
trouble it is amazing that so many people go about their daily business every
day.
There is no question that we have challenges (“There are no
problems, there are only challenges”).
We have a challenge in our federal parliament right now, but
our constitution will lead us through that eventually. In fact, the process,
awkward as it may seem, has already started. There will be a new leader of the
ruling party and there will be an election before summer.
Speaking of which, why does it take so long to get a new
party leader? Imagine Britain in May/June 1940. Subjugation by Nazi Germany
seemed imminent. The British Prime
Minister had lost the confidence of his own ruling party. He had to be replaced
(sound familiar). Now imagine if the
British Conservative Party had had to undergo a leadership race that lasted 90
or more days. Britain would probably have been defeated, or had agreed to peace
talks with Herr Hitler, before a new Prime Minister had been elected. Instead,
the cabinet and caucus made their own decision, and Winston Churchill became the
new Prime Minister in a couple of days.
He went on to become one of the great wartime leaders of the 20th
century. He remained popular and supported throughout the war years. And when an election was held after the
defeat of Germany, Churchill fully accepted the will of the electorate and
peacefully turned over the government to the Labour Party.
A Prime Minister primarily needs the confidence and support
of those she/he will lead in parliament.
Without their support, he/she cannot govern. So, why not let the
parliamentarians select the person in who they would have the most confidence
and trust. That would ensure that the leader would lead a dedicated team who
are most supportive of her/his decisions and programs.
How could this process of selection work? Let’s give it a
two-to-three-week timeline. In the first week, those that wish to apply for the
position of the leader of their party would declare themselves. That could
include outside persons, for example Mark Carney, to also join the race. After that week, each candidate would give a
speech to their caucus outlining what their platform would be and why they
think they are the ones to carry it out. After that, each caucus member would
be given one week to come to their conclusion about who they would most likely
follow. They could use that week to talk further with each candidate, consult
with their own constituents and local party apparatus, or pray. At the end of
that period, there would be a selection meeting of the caucus but without the
presence of the declared candidates. The selection meeting would try to whittle
down the candidates to one person whom a large consensus of caucus members
would support. At the end of that meeting, the caucus chairperson would
announce the new party leader. There you go. No need for huge, expensive
proceedings and the inevitable round of fund raising. Very little time for
foreign interference. If a process such as that were started this past Monday,
you could have a new Prime Minister, one with the full backing of the caucus,
by the time the new US president is inaugurated. The next election would be the
time for the population to pass judgement on whether the caucus had made the
wisest decision.
These days, we think that every citizen, or at least they
themselves, should have a voice in every government decision. The citizens of
ancient Athens tried that. But that was
one city with only a few hundred males who were considered citizens. That would
be totally unwieldy today. That is why
representative government was instituted hundreds of years ago. To have elected
a riding representative, you have to trust that person to do their best for
you. In addition, you have to trust that
person to make the decision of who should lead their party in government,
whether it be as Prime Minister or as an opposition leader. This process would,
inevitably, allow every caucus member to have more influence in the running of
parliament. That can’t be a bad thing.
And no, we are not a broken country or a failed state. We
are vibrant, intelligent, beautiful, industrious country with a good
constitution and charter of rights and freedoms. Believe in it and do
everything you can to support it.
