In a national election where the competition between candidates often turns ugly, it was heartening to witness last week’s conversation among the people vying to represent Pontiac-Kitigan Zibi in which the interplay among them was respectful, civil and, at times, amicable.
We had the privilege of meeting five candidates eager to offer their ideas and their energy to making life better here in the Pontiac, across Canada, and even with implications for other parts of the world. While no single one of them claims to be perfect and have all the answers to all the questions, each of them has something of value to offer.
But after the dust settles, only one of them will be our MP, and that is a bit of a shame.
It is hard not to wish for a different system, one in which the best ideas of candidates such as these could build on each other in developing a common vision. Instead, choosing an MP is an inherently competitive process which tends to turn people who share an ambition to help make things better into opponents.
We accord a lot of power in our society to competition. We believe it brings out the best in everything we do. And, no doubt, there is a place for it in sports and in business. But what is its effect on governance? Could society be better-served by a more collaborative approach?
At moments, last week’s Conversation with the Candidates gave us a glimpse of what collaboration across party divides can look like.
Our job was to provide a venue in which we could all learn a little bit more about the candidates and gain insight into their various views, seeing not only the differences but also the convergences. It was our hope to shift the discussion away from a typical debate format into a conversation. We wanted to see what the candidates would do with the opportunity to engage in a collaborative exchange. We felt that, as voters and as a community, we would all be best-served by hearing from the candidates when they are thinking on their feet, rather than reciting practiced talking points written by campaign offices.
In preparation for last Tuesday’s event, we invited you, our readers, to provide questions in advance, which many did, and it helped us shape the questions we posed to our guests. We transmitted the conversation live via the internet and invited everyone to tune in for free, which thousands did and continue to do, making this probably one of the best-attended political discussions ever held in the Pontiac.
For those who have seen the conversation, we hope you found it interesting and informative. For anyone who has not yet seen it, you can watch it on THE EQUITY website here: www.theequity.ca.
As is often the case when talking with candidates in an election, it was our pleasure to encounter five public-minded people who have offered themselves up to scrutiny and, inevitably, much criticism, in their efforts to serve the community and the country.
And now, it’s our turn as voters to do our part by showing up at one of the voting stations across the Pontiac to cast our ballots.
