It might surprise some to learn that Brent Rathgeber’s book on what is subtitled “the decline of parliamentary democracy in Canada” isn’t particularly personal.
That the St. Albert’s MP is frustrated with the Canadian political system probably shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone who follows local federal politics, but his recently-released book, Irresponsible Government, makes it clear he’s fed up at an institutional level.
A book that reads more like a political pamphlet and is marketed by the publisher as a “point of view” piece, Rathgeber offers a history of Canadian democracy and responsible government – and his views that our parliament has ceded control to the executive branch.
Written in the year and a bit since he publicly broke up with the Conservative Party of Canada after his public salary disclosure bill was gutted in committee, Rathgeber takes on the heavy topic of the state of parliamentary democracy in Canada over his 248 pages.
While some might pick up his book expecting an insider’s tell-all on the goings on of the modern Conservative Party of Canada, and he does frequently use his own experience as illustrative examples, revenge or trashing the Tories doesn’t appear to be Rathgeber’s point in penning the missive. He’s annoyed at the current prime minister, obviously, but he takes the long view, taking a historical look at the current processes.
The content is of interest to anyone who follows Canadian politics at a high level, and while it might be nice if those who don’t were interested in such a book, it’s not likely to have mass appeal.
That said, for those in that niche, it’s surely a fascinating read from someone who’s been a part of an establishment he now criticizes. Rathgeber’s not shy about the fact that he was a member of the Conservative Party and he toed the party line while he was.
However, while Rathgeber is no longer a card-carrying Conservative, he is still a “small-c” conservative. This shows strongly in chapters like one that appears early in the book on public debt, where referencing the right-wing think tank the Fraser Institute and the Canadian Taxpayers Federation might drive off those of other political stripes who would otherwise agree or at least be interested in the rest of the book.
After a couple of detours that might send fiscally-left leaning readers packing, though, Rathgeber gets back on track and delivers the goods, neatly outlining the operations of parliament, cabinet, party discipline and more.
It’s in these chapters that Rathgeber finds his voice and pleads his case for the need for reforms to Canadian democracy, such as installing recall legislation so citizens could force a byelection in their ridings or thorough whistle-blower legislation – reforms he thinks will take a good long time.
He’s done a huge amount of research on the history of Canadian democracy and uses it, as well as comparing our system to other countries with illustrative examples. He does use his own experiences, but it’s not just about his personal battles with the PMO and party machine.
The book is generally well written, though thanks to the subject matter a bit of a slog at times. Rathgeber is a lawyer by trade and it shows in both the prose and his carefully thought-out arguments.
It might not be a thrilling read, but it is a worthwhile one for those who want to contemplate the state of Canadian democracy.
