SEAT PROJECTIONS & RIDING DISCUSSION -- SELECT PROVINCE/TERRITORY OR RIDING

Finally: Substance over sound bites

Author: Wasyl Wysoczanskyj (Non-Partisan)

1 Oct

Congrats to Layton and Harper for proposing more time to discuss the economy. Let’s build on this idea for future election campaigns: have 4 debates, one a week on a major issue. Fifteen minutes is not enough time to explain a policy on the environment, healthcare, etc. but 2 or 3 hours should be. Hold one debate in each of the different regions of the country with one French language debate in Quebec. Our democracy would be better for it.

Filed under: Alberta, All Candidates Meetings, Atlantic Canada, Bloc Québécois, British Columbia, Conservative, Democratic Reform, Economy, Green, Leaders' Debates, Liberal, NDP, Non-Partisan, Ontario, Others, Prairies, Québec, Voter Decision Making, Wasyl Wysoczanskyj (Non-Partisan)

4 Responses for "Finally: Substance over sound bites"

Paul Morphy October 1st, 2008 at 7:51 am 1
Here, we can definitely agree.
David October 1st, 2008 at 5:01 pm 2
Agreed as well but the level of political debate in this country is hardly inspiring and I think the daily news has to take the hit on why that is. It is one of the sad facts of this country that all the major papers are ideologically positioned so that you can’t really believe anything any of them write. If you read the Globe and Mail and somebody else reads the National Post you can hardly recognize that they are talking about the same issue. We all pay a price for that.
Bryan October 1st, 2008 at 6:49 pm 3
Wasyl, that is a fantastic idea. A more indepth look at how the leaders would approach the issues, without the MSM filter. Plus a better “linguistic” representation. It hardly seems fair that half of a leaders debate performance is going to be judged in a language that represents less than a quarter of the seats in parliament.

In terms of not hearing a lot about the issues in the media. You can only blame that on the media. If they’d spend less time reporting on the “gotcha politics” and more time diving into the details about governance and policy, we’d all be a lot better off.

Canadian media has a pretty bad record when it comes to reporting on elections.
Dawn Cochrane October 7th, 2008 at 4:26 am 4
I wholeheartedly agree that a weekly debate would really expose the candiates opinions and their integrity. However, unless more interest is generated by the media and the debate being promoted more, I fear that they will not be as successful as they could be.

Canadian media and particularly Atlantic Canadian Media do not promote the election issues, encouraging interest in the issues and therefore, in voting. I believe that the media here in Atlantic Canada is a monopoly and is censored according to the owners’ opinions.

In the US, every thing the candidates say is reported on and analysed to death. I think it is overkill in most instances. However, where are the prime time interviews, the prime time analytic debates by the experts.

I realize that our campaigns are shorter than the US Presidential one, and I am in no way advocating for a two year campaign, but is 4-6 weeks enough time for us to learn enough about the leaders or the local candidates.

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