3717...On The Subject Of The Elections

This is a piece that Rachel Decoste sent to CBC One in Ottawa:

Hello Kathleen and the Ottawa Morning Team, I was listening this morning, as always.

There was a discussion about the record number of youths elected to Parliament earlier this week.

One of the 3 persons on the panel mentioned that there is a certain % of 18-25 Canadians and they deserve a voice in Parliament, too. Agreed. Then another panel member, austensibly [SIC] a white male, says he's never voted for someone due to their representativeness.

(Paraphrasing) I found it quite rich for a Caucasian male who has never in his life been underrepresented in Parliament, in the Boardroom, or any other worthy institution in this country to frown upon representativeness as a motive for voters. I think I speak for the 5M Canadians of ethnic heritage when I say that having someone who looks like you and shares your experience and your struggles to represent your perspective in the highest echelons of the country DOES matter!!! The 52% (female) population is also sensitive to having our views vehicled in the House of Commons. (I'd invite the gentleman to visit the "Famous 5" website for a bit of background on that seemingly forgotten struggle.)

For someone like the panel member to dismiss that strong sense of longing those of us outside the dominant culture have long nurtured is quite dissappointing.

Rachel Décoste

Ottawa,

www.RachelDecoste.ca

That is exactly what I was thinking too; just crazy, eh?

I think that the House of Commons could use more commoners. And not the Kate Middleton-y type of commoners, the real deal. Like the NDP's Kiddie Korps.

WFDS