I have now attended my first Federation of Canadian Municipalities AGM which was hosted by Calgary this past weekend. There was excellent Yukon representation provided by Whitehorse, Teslin, Faro, Carmacks, Watson and of course, yours truly from Dawson. Our CAO, Paul Moore attended earlier in the week for the admin portion of the meetings.
It’s a huge event involving close to 2100 delegates representing communities from all over Canada; the organizational aspect must be daunting. I attended some of the study tours, forums and discussion groups as well as the daily gathering in the great hall. The delegates assembled every morning to hear a keynote speaker projected on big overhead screens so the throng could see. We heard from Prime Minister Harper, Stéphane Dion, and Jack Layton on separate days. Each delivered what amounted to a campaign speech which added fuel to my cynicism about the structure of our political system. Only the Liberal leader took questions from the audience. The best speech was delivered by General Hillier, Chief of our Defence Staff, he’s a very gifted speaker who was able to induce a five minute standing ovation, and I have to admit, a bit of a teary eye.
I think the true value in this kind of conference is the ability to network with leaders of other cities, towns and villages from across Canada. I spent a lot of time talking with other Mayors and Councilors listening to their issues and throwing in my two cents in as well.
Despite the great interaction among delegates, there was a shadow cast over the AGM. Namely the conspicuous absence of FCM President Gloria Kovach. She was in attendance but not in her capacity as leader because of her dismissal by the FCM Executive late last year. Rumour has it that she was kicked out because she revealed her political stripes by running for the Conservatives in the last Federal election, a bid that she lost. Notice I said ‘rumour’, that’s because there appears to have been no official explanation provided either to her or the membership about the circumstances that lead to her firing. Delegates were lining up at the microphones during the regular meeting demanding answers from the interim President Gordon Steeves and the executive sitting at the table peering down at everyone. I have to say I was deeply disappointed by their reluctance to provide any kind of answer for their actions only to hide behind the ‘it’s before our lawyers’ defense. It appears on the surface at least that her demise was fueled by internal politics rather than a democratic reference to a rule or regulation. If the later were true, it would have been a simple matter to point to the clause that gave rise to Ms. Kovach’s dismissal thereby quelling a rather riled up crowd that sent the meeting into overtime and visibly rattling the chair. Here’s the irony, the FCM is a group representing the most important order of government, namely the grassroots of municipalities, villages, towns and hamlets across the country, the FCM is in turn governed by a directorship that sees fit to arbitrarily give the boot to our president on a dubious and ill defined premise. They further see fit to withhold information and explanation from the membership at large. Very, very disappointing.
One good thing about living in a dualistic world is that there is always something available to offset any perceived disappointments. To this end I was really happy to again meet Mayor Lawrence Mawhinney of Lunenburg, Nova Scotia. He travelled to Dawson about a year ago to give myself and council three days of venerable instruction on how to be an effective municipal government. All of us still remember how valuable his guidance was and continues to be and how fortunate we were to receive it.
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I’m not surprised by the Gloria Kovach “incident” (or should I refer to it as an “affair”), but I am surprised by your disappointment about it. If anyone should know that power resides at the top it is you, John – or have you forgotten already?
Common folks at the base of the political pyramid have the right to vote, but solidly anchored in our constitution is the Canadian reality that power resides with the uncommon folks, those we elect to occupy the peaks of our political pyramids. That leaves Canadian politics with two objectives: #1 is to get power, and #2 is to keep power. Everything else is tertiary stuff.
Sad to say Andre, but you are quite right. I used the term ‘surprised’ in a perhaps, misplaced effort to appear polite. To witness such a blatant disrespect of democratic principles at such close quarters left a bad taste in my mouth.
I’m contemplating options available to us plebes.
Take a look at the Municipal Act, Part 3, Division 16, sections 150 to 159. These are unusual provisions in Canadian municipal law, I would say revolutionary provisions. Canadians simply are not accustomed to such provisions. They were used, I believe for the first time, last year in Whitehorse by Carole Bookless and her group in a controversial land use matter. Whitehorse Council was not exactly a shining example of democratic behaviour in the way they responded to the citizen’s wish to have a say in the matter.
I think, if the unique provisions Yukoners have in their municipal legislation are going to work and serve as an example nationally, it will take a concerted effort and plan to educate citizens on what these provisions are, and how they work, and a willingness on the part of Council to make the process visible and readily available.
There, I shall now dismount from my democratic hobby-horse and refill my coffee cup.
I’m familiar with those provisions and am extremely happy that they exist. They may now be put to use in Dawson for the first time, regarding the location of the waste water plant, a contentious issue for some. Of course it can be a thorn in the side of council, but that’s just too bad. Grassroots democracy comes first.
Congratulations! I’ll have to keep an eye for developments in this regard. Active citizen engagement in decisions at the local level is more than a passion for me, it is an obsession. If it will happen in Dawson, it would make a great case-study for my Thought and Afterthought and/or Audi Alteram Partem series.