Political Campaign Media Dribble! Elections Canada to the Rescue.

The quality of communications in the last federal election lacked content and integrity. The electorate responded with a majority not voting at all. The system is clearly broken. Perhaps by mandating Elections Canada to oversee and regulate political campaign-related media, we can try to restore campaign credibility to the electorate and democracy to elections.

Most party websites offer vague priorities and little explanation. Perhaps the parties realize that few votes will be won from web research. Campaign messages to the electorate are loudest via television: from campaign ads, to news coverage, and guest appearances; Obama even did an infomercial. This type of democracy empowers marketing companies, strategists, and those able to pay them. Its danger is that it can so easily result in election winners who hold policies with values and priorities fundamentally different from those of Canadians.

Critics of this idea will immediately cry - Freedom of speech. Of course freedom of speech is sacred. Our freedom of speech is not threatened by this proposal. Mandating Elections Canada to regulate campaign media standards will strengthen the value proposal of the elections excersize/investment.

Canadian media already regulates its content. For example, regulations exist regarding the percentage of Canadian content that broadcasters must air. Elections Canada, in partnership with the CRTC, can also regulate campaign media to encourage clear, accurate, and productive messages to the electorate. For example, Elections Canada could regulate the percentage of slander of the opposition and thereby move parties to discuss themselves and their own priorities and visions. Maybe we’ll learn about the diverse strengths held by the candidates. Maybe we will actually learn something about what the party is really proposing to do if they win our votes. We can then make our decisions based on which one best represents our values.

Essentially I’m saying, let’s move away from the free for all, let’s treat parliament as a profession, and let’s empower our government administration to encourage a better electoral system. Scandals aside, we have good accountability and monitoring frameworks and proceses within our public programs. Many Canadians, particularly the 40.9% that did not vote, do not trust the politicians. How about Canada’s bureaucratic system? Maybe our strong and transparent system, recognized around the world, can help bring back relevance, representation, and vision to the process of elections in Canada.