Toward Efficiency – Democratic Reform

We talk much these days about Senate Reform and Electoral Reform, but what we really need is democratic reform that will make our government more efficient.  Why does it take the government so long to make decisions?  Why do we have to have so many public consultations for just about everything?  Why can’t we get laws passed faster, when they are really needed, not months or years down the way when the need has receded? Why do we even need a Senate to hold up so many bills?  We need more efficiency in our government!

We need to be able to get our government to move quicker on these things.  We need them to be more efficient.  We need to get rid of anything that gets in the way of efficiency. 

Whenever you have an efficient government you have a dictatorship.
  - Harry S Truman

Well there you go.  Harry Truman had the answer.  But let’s not call it a dictatorship.  That word has too many negative connotations.  Let’s call it a Focused Democracy, the focus being on the leader.  We can call him the President, or Prime Minister, or anything else we want.  After all, isn’t that the way that government is becoming now?  All decisions have to be made or approved by our Prime Minister.  The rest of the cabinet members and MPs are there only to endorse those decisions, right? 

In our Focused Democracy, we can get rid of all of these legislators, both in the House and the Senate and just let the leader lead.  He can quickly proclaim new laws and make decisions without the bother of committees and hearings.  Oh, it could still be called a democracy.  We could have an election every four or five years, or whenever the leader decides.  But we would only have to elect one person.  The illusion of democracy would be upheld.

Of course the President or Leader would need advisors.  He would need a cabinet to run the government departments.  But rather that having to choose from political hacks and rivals, he could pick from the best and the brightest.  He could take his pick of business leaders and military leaders; men and women who had proven themselves as executives.  They would have tenure.  There would be no calls for their resignation every time they made a mistake.

Think of the money we would save in election costs alone.  Not to mention the money we would save in members’ salaries and benefits, plus all their staffers and office expenses.  Of course we could get rid of all those old Parliamentary buildings that house the chambers and the offices of all those members which will no longer be used.  They all need so much work to refurbish them and maintain them; we could save a few billion dollars right there.

Perhaps we could talk some eminent Canadians to run for the office, military leaders like Lewis McKenzie or Rick Hillier.  Or business leaders like Conrad Black.  Oh wait.  He’s not a Canadian any more.  Well, he can fix that when he’s President.

Of course, the chaos and arguments that now go on in the House of Commons would come to an end.  There would be no Opposition to argue with.  The government could save millions more by not having to run constant attack ads.  The leader could just get on with his job of running the country.  It would be a very business-like approach to government, something businessmen have been asking for for years.

So why don’t we get on with this reform of our government.  A lot of people would be happy to save money, streamline government, get rid of the pesky Senate and ensure that political wrangling would be absent until the next election.  Come on folks; let’s get on with this.  Let’s really get behind this efficient government idea . . .

 . . . NOT!

Winston Churchill said something about democracy being the worst form of government except for all the rest that have been tried.