Democracy Gone Astray

Democracy, being a human construct, needs to be thought of as directionality rather than an object. As such, to understand it requires not so much a description of existing structures and/or other related phenomena but a declaration of intentionality.
This blog aims at creating labeled lists of published infringements of such intentionality, of points in time where democracy strays from its intended directionality. In addition to outright infringements, this blog also collects important contemporary information and/or discussions that impact our socio-political landscape.

All the posts here were published in the electronic media – main-stream as well as fringe, and maintain links to the original texts.

[NOTE: Due to changes I haven't caught on time in the blogging software, all of the 'Original Article' links were nullified between September 11, 2012 and December 11, 2012. My apologies.]

Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Justin Trudeau will ask Stephen Harper your questions

OTTAWA – Got a question for the prime minister, but not quite sure how to ask it?

Send it to Justin Trudeau. He might ask it for you.

A month into his new gig as federal Liberal leader, Trudeau is inviting people to submit questions they would like him to ask the government in the daily House of Commons question period.

“Nobody knows the challenges facing our middle-class better than you,” says the page on the Liberal party’s website. “That’s why we’re asking Canadians to send us their questions for the government on middle-class concerns by May 17.

“If your question is selected, it will be read in Question Period so you can get the answers you deserve.”

Trudeau’s question period performances thus far have focused squarely on the middle class, as he attempts to portray Prime Minister Stephen Harper as out of touch with average Canadians.

This type of online outreach – a cornerstone of Trudeau’s leadership campaign – is a step further.

“Because I know Canadians understand far better than this government what’s actually happening, I’m going to ask you to send me in your questions … so that we, together, start challenging the prime minister on the issues facing middle-class Canadians,” Trudeau says in an accompanying YouTube video.

The Liberals are even providing a handy guide to structuring questions properly.

“Describe the current situation (1-2 sentences); describe the problem you want addressed (1-2 sentences); ask a question of the government that seeks action or information (1 sentence),” the guide says.

There’s a thousand-character limit for submissions, so choose your words carefully.

The website also provides examples of questions by Trudeau, including one from his first day as Liberal leader which starts by defining the word “tariff.”

To submit a question, you must provide the Liberal party with your name, phone number, email and mailing address.

Original Article
Source: canada.com
Author: Michael Woods

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