As the Conservatives begin to place their stamp on Ottawa, the
Liberal Party is engaged in what promises to be the most open and
competitive leadership race in decades. A lengthy roster of
candidates features men and women who are scouring the country for
supporters in the lead-up to the final vote in December.
An important determinant of Canada's digital future may well be
whether or not the Liberals rise to the challenge of addressing
electronic governance matters in meaningful and innovative way.
The stakes are high for the country as a whole since not only
are the Liberals likely to be a government in waiting, but the
agenda of a new leader is likely to influence the choices of a
minority Conservative government as well.
The Liberals begin with the advantage of a bar set quite low.
E-government and other matters pertaining to e-commerce and a
digital society were hardly discussed in the last election
campaign. One study by the Canadian Internet Policy and Public
Interest Clinic at the University of Ottawa assessed the electoral
platforms of the parties on such matters and the results were
sobering - with the parties having little of interest to say.
In the early days of the leadership campaign, there have been
mixed signals as to what to expect. Toronto MP Carolyn Bennett was
ecstatic that the party saw fit to embrace Internet registration
for new memberships, a seemingly minor change but one that is
genuinely democratizing (in the past, controlling the paper supply
proved an essential tactic of party organizers).
Beyond this modification, however, the Liberals have opted for a
remarkably traditional process culminating in what will be - as
always in Canadian politics - a made for television convention
where the new leader will be crowned in what the party hopes will
be a competitive and unpredictable finish. The ideal outcome: a
prime time address by the new leader not only to the cheering
faithful on the convention floor but also the country as a
whole.
Yet, people are joining political parties less and less, to say
nothing of watching the conventions on television - events that can
drag on for hours of time-filling interviews between votes (Lord
help them if CSI or Canadian Idol happens to be playing at the
time). Should the Liberals not have been bold enough to embrace an
online and open vote for the membership at large.
Would younger people not be more inclined to take an
interest?
Water under the bridge in any event, but what remains is still
ample opportunity to debate the prospects for Canada to regain its
stature as a leader in embracing digital innovation in all sectors.
To name but a few matters of key importance: e-government and
e-democracy, e-commerce and a review of telecommunications and
cultural policies, the urban-rural divide in broadband access,
e-health and e-learning, privacy and security, and the list goes
on.
Responsibility lies not with the Liberals alone of course.
Proponents of change in these and other areas of technological
management, including the publishers of this magazine and the
technology industry more broadly, should be demanding nothing less
than a wide and meaningful debate among leadership aspirants.
If Liberal candidates and their supporters perceive a wide
constituency of interest on such matters, they will respond in
kind. At the end of the day, however, the Liberals' future hinges
on whether or not this leadership race galvanizes young Canadians.
Such was the message delivered recently to party leaders by Joe
Trippi, a leading American political organizer and Internet
proponent who successfully launched Howard Dean as a legitimate
Democratic presidential contender (he is now the national party
chairman).
The lesson from Trippi's experience is that it likely will not
be the central party apparatus that instigates change but
individual candidates - particularly younger ones, courageous
enough to embrace new ideas in terms of both policies and
processes. The Internet can be much more than a top-down
fundraising and communications vehicle: It can also be an
empowering mechanism for grassroots engagement and dialogue.
Technology is increasingly the platform for political action
except, ironically, in political parties themselves. Who in the
Liberal ranks will step up to the plate?
Jeffrey Roy (jroy44@gmail.com) is associate
professor at the University of Ottawa and author of E-Government in
Canada: Transformation for the Digital Age.
icon.
