The debate on what makes an effective democracy is by no means new but councillor Cam MacKay has chosen to open the philosophical question for discussion at city council.
His motion to incorporate direct democracy tools would have compelled council to look for ways to increase the decision-making powers of St. Albert residents. Those ideas included, but were not limited to, binding plebiscites and online polls.
The quest to increase public feedback and collaboration is laudable, but there are inherent flaws with MacKay’s proposal.
The first is apathy. Public engagement in municipal politics is notoriously low, and MacKay’s direct democracy notion won’t move the needle on the populace’s interest. Instead, MacKay’s concept would appeal to small groups of activists whose special interest(s) may or may not represent the desires of the larger community. Councillors are elected to make decisions on the public’s behalf. Why have them if they are merely relegated to tallying poll results?
The second problem is logistics. This is not simply stating it’s too hard so we should not try. The simple truth is decisions have to be made in a timely fashion. While that in itself can, at times, seem like an alien concept to St. Albert, a direct democracy approach would grind the system to a standstill.
Finally, costs must be considered. It is a rare day in St. Albert when the Gazette, discussion forums, or social media does not have someone lamenting the high cost of taxes in the city. The cost of administering additional plebiscites, meetings, polls or other tools to measure public opinion would be onerous.
Council, by its very nature, has the tools at its disposal to make decisions on behalf of the people. As Coun. Cathy Heron pointed out, council has a better handle on the totality of municipal governance than the average citizen. That’s because council has access to reams of information, as well as access to city staff, consultants and other professionals outside of government to make informed decisions.
Citizen engagement is important, and in fact it already exists. There are public hearings, which seek input before council makes certain decisions. There are also numerous committees and boards in which members of the public can participate to help shape St. Albert’s future, including the Community Sustainability Committee, the Smart City Master Plan Steering Committee, the Community Services Advisory Board and the Assessment Review Board.
MacKay would be well advised to focus his efforts on issues that really matter to St. Albertans – a safe, affordable, caring community that promotes our quality of life by prospering in an increasingly competitive global environment. Suggesting to his fellow councillors that a vote against his motion on direct democracy is a vote against improved consultation is nonsense, if not counterproductive. We need councillors who have their finger on the pulse, not on push-button politics.
