Let’s face it: you don’t really have to respect the voters very much anymore to get elected to public office in Canada.

Gordon Campbell disrespected the voters many times on several issues: saying one thing before the election and doing another after. But he was elected, and re-elected and re-elected, until finally going too far and resigned in disgrace.

Stephen Harper disrespected Parliament by shutting it down twice; became the first Prime Minister to be found guilty of contempt for the House; disrespected the public’s right to access to information; restricted or refused on many occasions to entertain questions, even while campaigning for office; disrespected the voters by allowing only “approved” people from attending his election rallies … and was rewarded with a very comfortable majority government.

An NDP candidate, nominated by her party as a candidate for MP, the highest elected office in the land , showed so little respect for the voters in her prospective constituency (not to mention her party, the democratic process and her country) she didn’t even step foot in her riding during the entire campaign … BUT won!

And Christy Clark apparently learned well: she, in my view, disrespected the voters and other candidates in the Point Grey by-election by refusing to face them directly at all-candidate meetings or even appear on radio talk shows with them to discuss issues, ideas, or even the Canucks! And she too won.

Politics in Canada has been changed by the televison age … more and more over the years … with appearances, flash and photo ops coming more and more to the fore, along with televised debate only at the highest levels … but getting worse “on the ground” from the point of view of all-candidates local debates and any in-depth policy discussion.

Candidates are now packaged like soap powder: wrapped up in neat looking boxes and bright colours, complete with promises of “new improved” on the front … but less and less real product inside.

And we buy it.

As much as Canadians love to criticize (and many hate) U.S. politics, no candidate there could get away with the disrespect that Canadian politicians can now so openly show with disdain towards their citizens … and yet, get elected!

Could you just imagine what would happen is a candidate for the US Presidency only spoke at rallies, where people had to apply in advance …not to security officials … but to party apparatchiks for approval to get in and listen??? Or what would happen to any candidate who would not enter into any debates, in person, on radio or on television? Or ever step into the Congressional district where they were running? They CERTAINLY would not WIN!!!

What we have witnessed develop in Canada over recent decades is an increase of disrespect for the voters by candidates and parties and an equal growing disrespect by the voters towards these same candidates and parties. And worst of all, acceptance and endorsement of this decline.

This, I believe, is a direct cause of the lower turnouts, lack of interest and even repudiation of our democratic system by so many citizens. If the people who supposedly represent us have so little respect for the process, the job and their responsbilities, while collecting six-digit salaries, tax-free silver-plated expense accounts, travel benefits and ultimately, huge golden pensions … why should those of us who are forced to pay for it all?

Even the voters now show self disrespect.

In Point Grey, more than 7,000 voters voted for Clark, despite her repeated thumbing her nose at their right to hear her defend her record publicly before other candidates, debate her policies or even expose herself to the same “talk show” grilling she so used to deliver to others running for public office.

This was a by-election … not a provincial vote … and the people of Point Grey could have sent a short-term message with a real long-term warning to Clark and all other aspiring Canadian politicians that voters deserve respect … not just photo ops, slick ads and one-sided town-hall unchallenged phone discourses.

Point Grey voters could have taken a valuable stand in defence of democratic principles … at least until the full vote, coming in the Fall. They could have signalled to those who do not vote that they do have power and can stand up for oppeness, integrity and both responsible and RESPONSIVE politics.

The people of BC sent a message on the HST and the people of Point Grey could have sent another one on Clark’s election cowardice.

Instead 7,400, Point Grey voters gave Clark’s disgraceful campaign tactics a stamp of approval … and in doing so, endorsed that growing Canadian political tradition …. of disrespect for the system and themselves in the process..

Harv Oberfeld