Now that I’ve caught your eye with this catchy title, let me pique your interest with some of my findings.
Posted at 11:00 a.m.
I devoted myself, in the last days, to a survey not quite scientific with my network. Many people participated without knowing that behind my innocuous request was a desire to understand a little what animated them in this provincial election campaign. I therefore thank them for their contribution… involuntary!
The campaign has started and I confess that for the committed citizen that I am, it is a real crossing of the desert, under magnificent 41 degrees humidity typical of Montreal. You see, I am a little, not to say a lot, annoyed by certain speeches at the start of the election campaign.
The debates of ideas too often give way to the endless litanies concerning the faults of the adversaries.
Personal attacks are legion: they are so frequent that they leave the news cycle as quickly as they entered it in two hours, according to Google. So, rather than inhaling deeply, we exhale the nastiest thing about everything and nothing. It seems to me that the time has come to change the way of approaching politics and, above all, to elevate the discourse.
Define our aspirations
Here is my modest contribution, and that of my secret collaborators, to help make election periods exciting. As a first step, we should define aspirations, commitments and collective objectives that are clear, but above all, concrete and achievable. The list of topics to be covered should include, in particular, social development, the reduction of inequalities, the fight against poverty and social exclusion, issues related to housing and food insecurity, the environment, education and health, ecological transition and responsible economic development. Phew! Big program. Precisely, why not make room for promising initiatives, regardless of the party in power?
I know, I’m very naive, but I’m also pragmatic.
Imagine a party in power that agrees that the people debating before it in the Blue Room have a great idea to implement and that with their agreement, the decision is made to adopt it in the best interest of the population. Pure happiness! And we would all be winners!
It would be interesting to give a place, in the debates, to reflections on empathy, benevolence and mental health. The news of the past few days, tinged with threats and acts of vandalism, has shown us how much we need it.
It would also be relevant, in this context, to explore how local services could be better supported. Whether it is the services of municipalities or those of community organizations, we must give ourselves the means of our common ambitions in order to build a truly inclusive and egalitarian society. After all, this is based on human interactions and it is important to invest in taking care of ourselves and our community.
Reinventing our elections
If you have continued reading this far, if you have nodded your head a few times, it is because your definition of common sense resembles mine and you have the impression that this common sense is lost in the innumerable promises launched and immediately attacked from all sides.
Elections may not be, after all, the ideal time to have a real debate on the societal issues to which we wish to give more importance. And that’s a shame. Too bad, because this perspective does not lead us to review our ways of doing things, to innovate, to change the recipe a little… It is often said that in Quebec, people do not vote “for”, but rather vote “against”. . As things stand, it seems that everything leads to this fatality.
Instead of uniting behind an inspiring vision, we vote in reaction to a program.
I cannot leave you without speaking of the personal attacks suffered by several candidates and politicians. These attacks fuel contempt and fuel cynicism and skepticism among voters. They are becoming more and more suspicious of politics and its elected officials, which is leading to the erosion of democracy. It’s worrying. It is necessary to open a space of frank and transparent dialogue, certainly, but respectful. This should be the very first thought during an election campaign.
The great ideas of society must remain present at all times, including between elections. In this way, we will succeed in implementing real changes for the benefit of citizens who will be able to contribute to them in ways other than with a vote every four years.