That was the feeling I had when I was twelve years old and I joined Pollution Probe and held local businesses to task for dumping oil in storm sewers, and the feeling I had when I was a youth worker on the streets of Toronto in my twenties. That's the feeling I had when I was a social policy analyst for the government of Canada in the 80's and 90's. But that feeling faded away when Stephen Harper's Conservatives took power some ten years ago.
Full disclosure requires that I honestly tell you that I've always had left of centre political views. I've voted Liberal, NDP and Green. I've worked as a public servant under both Liberal and Progressive Conservative governments and since 2006, a Conservative regime. My job was to provide the analysis of impacts of a variety of policy options. If the universal Baby Bonus (yes I'm old enough to remember the Baby Bonus) was replaced with a targeted Child Tax Benefit, who would benefit and who would not. There were no value judgements in the analysis. It was factual and the political side of winners and losers was properly left to the politicians. If our analysis indicated that a possible policy change would give a benefit to same-sex couples and that represented 3% of the population, my job was done and it was up to the government of the day to decide if it was politically expedient to pursue such a policy (the Supreme Court of Canada made the call on that one).
Up until the Harper government took power, civil servants were given access to the tools that they needed to inform the government of the day - up to date labour force data, research from government funded bodies like the National Council of Welfare and of course the rich data provided by the Census long form... Enlightened politicians of all stripes appreciated the knowledge we were able to provide. I still have a hand-written thank you note from Jake Epp - then Minister of Health and Welfare. To be certain, political ideology swayed the interpretation of the numbers we presented, but that is government and politics.
Under the Harper regime, scientific research has been slashed while the few scientists who are able to do some research are muzzled if their findings do not fall in lock-step with Conservative ideology. Beyond that, under Harper rule, existing research has been destroyed in exercises akin to fascist book burning. Harper cut all funding to the arm's-length National Council of Welfare because Harper and the Conservative caucus see no value in understanding poverty or income inequity. Why fund research that will inform progressive policy and focus a spot-light on what your economic and social policy is not doing. Similarly, why fund research on climate change when it is easier to simply deny its existence. Cast the abysmal position of murdered and missing aboriginal women as a "tough on crime" issue and you don't need any further understanding when the clear solution is to get tougher on crime by pumping more money into prisons and building a more oppressive police state.
The modus operandi of the Harper government is:
- to keep consultation to a bare minimum (Harper has never sat down with all of his provincial counter-parts at any time during his ten years in office and consistently refused to engage with First Nations),
- limit evidence-based understanding whenever possible (cut research bodies like the NCW and destroy existing non-compliant research) and,
- support your agenda with ideological rhetoric (witness the non-answers given by the likes of Calandra and Poilievre during Question Period, the suffocating control exercised by Harper on his caucus and the cloistering of Harper from media and voter questions during this election).
When I was a kid I wasn't content with "because I told or so" and "I know what's best for you". As an adult, I'm still not content with that answer - especially when it is coming from the Prime Minister, but now I have a choice. I'm choosing the party that believes in making informed decisions based of facts and evidence. I'm choosing the candidate who has proven that he can and is willing to work for those he wants to represent. I'm choosing to vote for the leader who wants to answer questions, who asks real questions and who wants real change based on transparency, collaboration and consultation.
I'm choosing to vote for a better Canada, honest candidates who are running because they passionately believe they can be part of real change for a better Canada. I'm voting for Team Trudeau because I'm voting for the future right now.
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