Many recent disappointments
“A leader takes people where they want to go. A great leader takes people where they don’t necessarily want to go, but ought to be,” reads a famous quote by former first lady Rosalynn Carter.
As of late, this quote has been at the forefront of my mind. An avid consumer of news surrounding politics and current events, I have grown rather frustrated with the total lack of leadership at all levels of government. The reckless political mess south of the border aside, 2017 has so far served a variety of disappointments in federal, provincial, and local realms alike.
For me, politics has never been about party ideology or loyalty. In fact, I find the concept of political parties rather foolish, as it is impossible to have a large group of individuals who agree across the board on all manners of policy and values—but I digress. Most of the time, my unfortunate cynicism warrants all candidates to be merely engaged in a popularity contest, however well-intentioned their initial motives. But this view has not yet stopped me from hoping with each election that this will be the year somebody truly steps up to the plate and makes the moves we need.
Sadly, the changes we need and what the people want to hear are seldom the same thing. What is even more bewildering is when the right things and the popular things are the same—yet are shunned by those in power for the unspoken, but blatantly obvious reason that it serves them no benefit.
I am talking, of course, about the federal Liberals’ ridiculous assertion that electoral reform “lack(s) the broad support of Canadians,” and the subsequent abandonment of what was arguably their most prominent campaign pledge. Citizens across the country voted for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberals, and among his largest promises was the assurance that it would be the last Canadian election held under the first-past-the-post (FPTP) system.
Fast forward to early 2017 when, conveniently, the Grits decided there was insufficient backing for reform despite their mandate as a majority party to implement change. I did not vote Liberal in the last election, but I was relieved that the winners brought such an apparent urgency to a matter so easily brushed aside by politicians past. That these intentions rapidly devolved into shoddy surveys and inconclusive Parliament sessions is an affront to Liberal supporters and to Canadians as a whole.
It is not just in Ottawa, either. Provincially, Premier Kathleen Wynne’s Liberals have responded to abysmal approval ratings with knee-jerk (and arguably futile) attempts to boost party support.Though certain ventures, such as reduced hydro rates, may actually be worth investigating, other last-minute flip-flops on major issues do nothing to show of the strong leadership Ontario currently needs.
Premier Wynne’s unexpected veto of Toronto’s badly-needed road tolls was a weak if understandable display of desperation to slow her downward fall in the polls. While there are undoubtedly many GTA residents who would applaud the Premier’s prevention of another expense to their thin wallets, there are others who see the infrastructure they rely on daily crumbling into disrepair. Regardless of my own views on the issue (full disclosure: I am not a Torontonian), Premier Wynne made it clear that her own personal gain eclipsed the council decision of Canada’s largest city. That is not the mark of true leadership.
Finally, we see this void at other levels, too. Whether it’s the Ontario Municipal Board (OMB) constantly giving in to deep-pocketed developers against the wishes of towns large and small; the relocation of Guelph’s Turfgrass Institute to the ecologically sensitive Arboretum; or the excessive acceptance of student applicants by money-hungry university administrations, decisions are being made with goals of power and popularity—not the best interests of constituents—in mind.
It isn’t that I don’t understand why these things are happening. Corruption and self-interest are nothing new to politics, and it’s not particularly alarming that recent events showcase these elements. However, as a member of the generation most poised to bear the negative effects of these hasty decisions, I cannot help but be greatly disappointed.
Photo courtesy of Panasonic DMC Fz10 via Public Domain.