BC FORUM News - from The Advocate, Winter 2016

Courage, my friends, it’s not too late to build a better world

By Diane Wood President, BC FORUM

Democracy is the most powerful tool we have to build civil societies – communities where every person has the opportunity to fully participate and contribute to our collective well-being. It is based on a shared understanding that none of us stands alone and that we are stronger together.

Canadians have fought and died to defend our right to elect our own governments, but as the US election demonstrated, democracy is fragile. Donald Trump’s campaign strategists said in the days before the election that the only way he could win was to drive down voter turnout. He succeeded. Millions stayed home. Turnout was the lowest in 20 years.

What’s particularly dangerous is the way he did it. He denigrated democratic government as a swamp. He called his Republican rivals names: Little Marco, Lyin’ Ted, and Low Energy Jeb. In the campaign itself, with no basis in fact, he branded his opponent Crooked Hillary.

Implicitly or explicitly, he spread hate and disrespect towards Latinos, blacks, jews, women, gays and everyone who dared to oppose him.

I have never seen a political campaign so rude, callous, self-centred and devoid of truth.

With the Trump campaign using the social network to send targeted messages to his supporters, even Facebook is caught up in controversy. A story from a fake news site claimed Hillary Clinton was a devotee of satanic rituals. Facebook users shared it more than 3,000 times.

Both Google and Facebook are now taking steps to clamp down on fake news sites.

But the damage is done. Even before Trump takes office, America is weaker, and the world is much more dangerous. Xenophobes, bigots, misogynists, autocrats and hatemongers are rushing to follow the path blazed by the new leader of the free world.

It has already hit very close to home. Hate literature and racist incidents are on the rise in B.C. and Canada.

As we prepare for our provincial election in May, these trends worry me a great deal.

Will name-calling replace civil debate on the critical issues that affect us and our families?

Will respect for each other, including those with whom we disagree, be burned on the altar of winning at all costs?

Will we be swamped in lies and fake news?

If ever there was a time when it was essential for us to stick together, this is it.

As the US election vividly demonstrated, no candidate is perfect. Every one of them has strengths and weaknesses. Some candidates and parties will work for social justice, equality and respect. Others will not.

We must judge. We must participate – ideally by helping to nominate candidates we trust.

In the end, we must vote. Staying home on election day is not an option.

As Tommy Douglas said: “Courage, my friends, it’s not too late to build a better world.”

That’s our goal. By standing together – from issue to issue and election to election – we will work in solidarity to help achieve that vision for ourselves, our children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews.