Although certainly not anywhere near the scale or intensity, it does conjure images of Tienanmen Square: a young individual, driven by unwavering core beliefs in the face of certain punishment, makes a David-and-Goliath-esque stand against a seemingly unstoppable government.
Her method is certainly not one I would choose, but the concerns she has raised are both very valid and ones that seem to have been ignored by the populace at large. The value of her actions extends beyond the sign - they show that the victory of the Conservatives is not total, that other viewpoints still exist, and that the left may have regained some firmness of conviction.
Oddly, though, I have seen many comments and editorials saying something to the effect of the following:
"How dare she disrespect a democratically elected [read: Conservative] government? The majority of people voted for this result. Her side lost, so she should shut up and get over it. Honestly, what a spoiled brat - what does she even have to protest about?"
(And yes, I have seen all of the above sentences in some form or another, and I have seen them many times. Perhaps I'm just looking in the wrong places...)
Let's address this one by one:
Disrespecting a democratically elected government:
Last I read, criticism wasn't necessarily disrespect. Parliament is an institution which is in part meant for the airing of grievances - although her presentation was unconventional, she in no way disrupted the proceedings (the Governor General did not pause for a moment), committed illegal activities, or put anyone in harm's way. By contrast, the Olympics protesters in Vancouver who ransacked local government offices did all three. Besides, the Conservatives are hardly the ones to be lecturing on respect for Parliamentary institutions. I suspect the concern with the particular editorials I was reading was that she was disrespecting their democratically elected government.
The majority of people...:
As per my last post here, there were not a majority who voted for the Conservatives. Besides, even if there were, what difference does it make? Do the views of a minority suddenly become irrelevant once we reach 50% plus one? I'm tired of hearing this plainly counter-factual red herring.
Her side lost, so she should just shut up:
I'm frankly quite astonished at this one.
I mean, I know that Conservatives have recently displayed quite a lack of understanding of Parliamentary functioning; there is no 'winning' or 'losing' side - the party that gets the most seats has the first chance at forming government, but it is no guarantee. Even then, the 'losers' continue to stay on in opposition.
However, what is appalling about this viewpoint is that it suggests that if your side didn't 'win' this occasional electoral contest your voice no longer counts. Not only is it anathema to the idea of representative democracy that people's opinions should cease to matter because of election results, but it also undermines the true meaning of a democratic system.
A healthy democracy is the product of a free and open society in which meaningful discourse can and does take place at all levels. The FightHST campaign and petition in BC, with its liberal, intentional use of logical fallacies, misquoted research, and outright fabrications, does not qualify as "democracy in action" no matter how many signatures its backers can brag about. Likewise, the government's introduction and campaign in favour of the tax have skewed facts and undermined our faith in democratic institutions. Thus democracy is clearly about more than voting: the quality of political action should always be judged on how it contributes to the advancement of societal well-being, not what form it takes or whose mouth it comes from.
Brigette remarked that democracy is not something that happens every four years or is restricted to parties and politicians. I think we should take that to heart.
What a spoiled brat:
I can think of a lot of words to describe Brigette's actions, and certainly not all of them positive. But spoiled? She gave up a job that is both extremely difficult to get and highly rewarding once in, and all so she could take a stand of principle. Of course she should have been fired - the job of a page is to remain professional and apolitical, and she certainly left those at the door.
However, her actions speak volumes about the strength of her convictions and how she clearly doesn't take her success for granted. People such as Linda Keen (former Nuclear Safety Commissioner), Dr. Munir Sheikh (former head of Statistics Canada), and Richard Colvin (former senior diplomat in Afghanistan) have all spoken up against this government and were fired, resigned, and had a vicious smear campaign launched against them, respectively. They took a stand on principle, for the interests of Canadians and non-Canadians alike, and we are the better for it.
What does she even have to protest about?:
Largely the same items that came up in the election: prisons, jets, militarism, et cetera. She has remarked that "Harper's agenda is against Canadian values". As someone who ascribes to the beliefs and values of modern liberalism, I would argue that her concerns are legitimate. Besdies, there is always something to be criticized, and the more people we have keeping an eye on the government - especially with a mainstream media that refuses to ask difficult questions - the better off we will be.
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So, counter to what some would say, I think that Brigette deserves a great deal of respect. She has made a peaceful, honest protest for the sake of her principles and the health of Canadian democracy. And she has done this in the face of considerable personal consequences. Perhaps instead of dismissing her as a misguided young hippie, more of us should follow her example and take meaningful action to fight for something that's worth fighting for.
Thanks for reading!
-Matt
(By the way, it's interesting: for Stephen Harper and Jack Layton, two guys who want to dramatically change and destroy the Senate, respectively, they seem to react pretty unpleasantly when someone else "disrespects" the Red Chamber. Funny how that works.)
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