Running for social justice

Politics can be a noble profession once again.

by Jody Dallaire, Dieppe Advisory Committee on Equal Opportunity between Women and Men

[Editor's note: On May 13, municipalities, rural communities and school boards across New Brunswick held elections. SGN correspondent Jody Dallaire was re-elected as a Councillor at Large in Dieppe.]

Recently the Manning Centre for Building Democracy, a right-wing political think tank, conducted a poll asking Canadians what they think of politicians. Results showed that public respect for politicians continues to plummet. A majority of Canadians consistently responded negatively — 52 percent said politicians are lazy, 58 percent said they are unprincipled, 59 percent said they are incompetent, 69 percent said they are dishonest, 77 said they are untruthful, and 90 percent said they are more concerned about money than about people.

These results are similar to the results from a poll conducted by polling firm Angus Reid in 2008.

The late comedian Groucho Marx once described politics as: " the art of looking for trouble, finding it everywhere, diagnosing it incorrectly, and applying the wrong remedies."

 

By and large, my own experience on Dieppe city council has been positive. Most, though not all of the municipal councillors that I have met, have their communities' best interests at heart.

That said, there are certain things that we politicians can do differently to gain people's respect. I agree with Alcide F LeBlanc's opinion published in l'Acadie Nouvelle last week. He argues that our municipal representatives must put aside partisan politics (Liberal, NDP and PC) for the benefit of their communities. He suggests that each idea and/or proposal put forward must be considered on its merit and not seen through the lens of political affiliation.

Personally, that is how I voted on ideas and proposals over the past four years. Now that Dieppe residents have done me the honor of electing me for another mandate, I plan to do the same thing over the next four years.

Remember the outburst by Abel LeBlanc, former Liberal MLA for Saint John Lancaster, in the Legislative Assembly. In the heat of debate, he started calling other members of the Legislative Assembly names and making obscene gestures. Not only was he expelled from the Legislative Assembly for his conduct for 3 days — he also faced the wrath of voters in the next election, losing his seat with over 1100 fewer votes than the PC candidate.

This is just the most extreme example of what type of conduct can happen in politics and which turns citizens off. Dr Joanna Everitt, political scientist, said the Abel LeBlanc situation could deter qualified candidates from seeking office. She commented: "Women often say, 'Why would I want to put myself in that situation? Why would I want to be in a place where there's shouting, arguing and heckling going on? I don't work that way, I don't want to work that way.'"

I would argue that probably a lot of men that feel the same way too!

Politics can return to being perceived as a noble profession, as has been the case in the past. Consider the recent outpouring of love for NDP leader Jack Layton, upon his death. Layton was known for valuing the opinion of Canadians and seeking it out. He was also known for being willing to work with all political parties to get things done. I remember watching the coverage after his passing and being struck by how so many people — most who had never even met the man — came forward by saying that he had touched their lives in some way. Even those who did not agree with his politics took time to honour his memory and his work.

This gives me hope that as politicians, we can work to change the perception of citizens of our profession. Our democratic institutions are by no means perfect, but they do work! Nearly three in ten (28.5 percent) of candidates in this New Brunswick election were women. I salute all the candidates who put their name forward for election in the 2012 municipal elections.

© Copyright 2012 Jody Dallaire, All rights Reserved. Written For: StraightGoods.ca