I have been verbally beat up all over the media and Canada this week over allegations that I said last year in an interview with Steve Paikin that Canadians are stupid. I am stunned that this story could have taken off so much that I barely get to discuss Green Party policies with a journalist or television host without being grilled about the remarks I made on TVO The Agenda. (If you missed this monumental distraction, you can view it on Question Period with Jane Taber.) It is unfortunately compelling argument when you hear the tape of what I said or read the transcript. It goes something along the lines of: “The other parties think Canadians are stupid, and they don’t think… and I fundamentally agree with that assessment.” Taken out of context, it sounds a lot like I just disrespected Canadians. I want to make it really clear that I have never nor will I ever regard the Canadian public as anything less than intelligent and wise.
The first important thing to note is that the remark “I fundamentally agree…” was made in response to the comment of another panelist whose comment was not heard on the tape. Watching it it is clear that I have turned and point to the panelist who made the comment – off camera and off tape.. but, of course audible to the studio audience. I was speaking very quickly- as I have a habit of doing- and the microphone picked up some parts louder than others. I want to finally put this whole thing to bed and not deal with these foolish distractions anymore. I reviewed all this on TVO with Steve Paikin more recently and he confirmed that no one in the room thought I had said Canadians are stupid. In fact, my entire commentary was to make the opposite point. Check out the interview here: http://www.tvo.org/cfmx/tvoorg/theagenda/
The most convincing reason why no one should believe that I could ever call the electorate “stupid” is that I have a lifetime of work and writing in the public service and in activism that suggests I believe quite the opposite. From the beginning of my work in the environmental movement as a teenager in Cape Breton, I have worked with grassroots organizations and organized citizen movements to ensure that democracy is valued and effective. The cornerstone of my faith in democracy is a firmly held conviction in the intelligence and ethic of responsibility and fairness displayed time and again by Canadians. No matter what the circumstances of this single past interview, my work remains a testament to the fact that I respect and admire the Canadian electorate. I trust them to deliver the best result for Canada despite the flawed first-past-the-post electoral system and the antics of misbehaving choreographed politicians.
I have also been asked by journalists this week about the Green Party’s strategy going into the election campaign. It is not humility or secrecy that prompts me to say that we are not about strategy. We, as a party, do not often prioritize our own candidates’ election strategies. As leader of the party, my strongest commitment is to engaging Canadians in democracy and to informing the electorate of their choice as best I can. The issue of being in the debates raises the questions: which issues do I target? Who can I tear down to win the most votes? Which region of Canada would be most likely to support and how can I win them over? But I do not approach these questions thinking only of Green candidates’ political gains. I approach them first and foremost as a Canadian who wants to see a positive result for change in the next election. I may not have a massive war room, attack ads, a “take no prisoners” strategy team or an Orwellian databank on the electorate, but I have my faith in the discernment of Canadian and their consistent rejection of the politics of fear.
I plan to focus on the issues I think are most urgently needed in the debate to produce results at the end of the campaign. Stephen Harper may have twisted logic and strategic sense to lead him to an extensive campaign that leaves Canadians staggering. But the Green Party campaign will be run by ideas and solutions, by Canadians who are running as candidates because they want to get the message out: Canadians can choose for themselves how to vote. We want to make sure they have all the relevant information, and we trust them to make a wise choice for tomorrow.