The shifting image of Canadian elected officials

by Derrick from Apathy is Boring — October 29, 2010


[071220 bruins (138) by Dan4th Nicholas on Flickr]

There’s something I’ve noticed lately, a new trend in Canadian democracy. Traditionally, our elected officials were older white men, often with law and/or political science backgrounds. Every once in a while someone would ruffle the feathers of Canadian political culture, but the norm pretty much remained intact.

With the announcement of former NHL hockey player/rough man Georges Laraque as the new deputy leader of the Green Party a couple of months ago, I think we can say that we’re changing the definition of who is suited to be an elected official. Canada’s demographics have changed, and it’s only natural that our political figures evolve with us as a nation.

I guess what I’m getting at is the more accessible our political system is, the more likely it is to be reflective of the average Canadian citizen. Therefore, all of you out there with an itch to become active in our democracy but feel you don’t fit into the traditional definition of “politician”, your time is coming.

 

 

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