Reaching for a new politics - "Cooperation, Compromise, Courtesy, Coalition.”

A recent CBC radio show raised the question of whether the current parliamentary “culture had run its course”, a culture with a “lack of civility” and in “a permanent discourse on electoral politics”.  The prospects of continuing minority governments, with the emerging growth of new parties being an increasing prospect for the future, is a contributing factor.  In the face of this, it is very easy to be critical, and harder to act to change the unsatisfactory direction in which we are headed.  Perhaps wishful thinking (trusting that organizations have a tendency to reorganize, change and self-adapt to a severe crisis) is not enough.  Perhaps it is time to set an example.  We are proposing to extend a hand in our riding to the political constituencies to help create a “new politics” that will put the riding, put the interests of the people and their well being, before partisan interests.  We propose a “new politics” of "cooperation, compromise, courtesy, coalition,” that may set an example and model for others.  Just to start small, with even an group of our municipal representatives, our MPPs, our  Federal MPs and candidates, the president of the Chamber of Commerce and others, meeting for a lunch and producing a non-partisan communiqué on some issue of importance to the riding. This may go a long way to building a new political culture that puts our residents and their concerns first.  The alternative is business as usual and dissatisfaction as usual.  We will see what happens.

Paul Maillet

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