Alexandre Duval’s all -fresh test, Obsession: elections! could have been called “why you are cynical in the face of politics”. According to this journalist who covered the National Assembly from 2022 to 2024 for Radio-Canada, the electoral behavior of politicians are largely responsible for the disaffection of the public towards politics. And it would be more than time for things to change to prevent democracy from continuing to crumble.
“I hope that it is not only experts in politics and journalism that read me. I would like citizens who have a negative look at politics find explanations for their indifference or their cynicism, “said Duval in an interview with The duty. “The more people will be aware of the source of their dissatisfaction, the more they will claim a political action that will look like them and please them. And the parties will adapt to this demand. »»
Electoralism is “a way of approaching the policy that pushes to determine its positions and its program according to the expected electoral benefit”, defines the former parliamentary correspondent in his book, quoting Larousse.
“What I have observed is how omnipresent is. How much political parties, on a daily basis, will highlight a communication that will be to their advantage, how the influence of polls is felt in the decision -making of the parties and the government. »»
This situation is similar to a permanent election campaign, a concept known in political science, notes Mr. Duval. On a daily basis, this is embodied in particular in a spectacle policy, where image and communication are hypercontrolled. The party line, which imposes on deputies of the same political training to relay the same message, limits the debates of ideas.
Third link and checks of $ 250
The CAQ saga with the third Quebec-Lévis link is cited as an example. “The third link, for ten years, has been presented, defended, defeated and defended again using reasons or indicators that still changed over time,” said Duval.
All parties are part of this dynamic, observes the author. His test has many Quebec examples of recent years, but also Canadian, American and French. There are in particular the classic promises of tax cuts as the elections approached, the $ 250 check that Justin Trudeau wanted to offer to Canadians this fall and the announcement of a high -speed train (TGV) project between Montreal and Toronto this winter.
“The Liberals have ten years of governance behind them, during which they rather told us about a high frequency train and during which many people demanded a TGV,” said the journalist. Why does this promise come at that time? »»
I hope that it is not only experts in politics and journalism that read me. I would like citizens who have a negative look at politics find explanations for their indifference or their cynicism.
Instead of promoting measures and programs they believe, then trying to convince citizens to join, the parties rely on actions and proposals which, according to their calculations, are likely to seduce a certain portion of voters sufficiently to be carried or postponed to power.
“It means that the social project of each political party is not always well defined and that it changes over time. It is difficult for citizens to navigate. We see him in the polls, they have the impression that all the parties are a little similar. »»
This is the paradox. By wanting to please different segments of the electorate with an addition of small targeted measures, accumulating ideological reversals and abandoned promises, the parties can obtain ephemeral support. But they disappoint and disinterested long -term citizens. The latter go less and less to the polls in the West.
“This short -term reflection also means that we will delay actions that could be necessary, such as tackling major environmental questions. We do not yet do so in a fully assumed way, because it may require to put in place measures that will not be popular at the time, “said the essayist.
A gear
Elected officials are not the only ones responsible for this drift, says Alexandre Duval. It dissects a whole system, which has evolved for a century. The voting system, the concentration of powers to the executive, the duration of the mandates and the daily frantic coverage of the media, who seek to take the politicians in default, contribute to this gear.
The very uniform profile of politicians is also involved. “What we see is that people who embark on politics often have prior experience in politics or that they are people in communication and management. There is thus a form of socialization which leads politicians to think a little all in the same way, ”explains the author. However, elected officials should ideally represent the multiplicity of identities and ideas of the population, he believes.
Some politicians feel prisoners of this system and leave politics, disillusioned. The preface to the book is also written by former deputies of three different provincial parties, namely Sylvain Gaudreault, Émilie Foster and Hélène David. All express discomfort in the face of the electoral machine.
Bear up
But do not throw the baby with the bath water, warns Mr. Duval. The bias of his book is the defense of democracy. Because all over the world, it is undermined by “a new caste of politicians, who campaign by denouncing the traditional political class”, taking advantage of the negative effects of electoralism.
“Citizens are related to that because they feel like they have someone who speaks to them true, without filter, who does not have the tongue of wood. But, once in power, [ces politiciens] Attack the foundations of democracy, the media, the judiciary, the public service, ”he explains.
Far from being put down, the author evokes several avenues of solutions: longer mandates so that governments do not feel that they absolutely need a second mandate to put in place their flagship measures; a reform of the voting system to give more influence to a plurality of voices; the abandonment of the party line; The recruitment of elected officials with more diversified profiles in terms of experience of life, employment, age and culture.
It is no coincidence that the cover and back of his book are green and yellow. “Green is renewal, Renaissance. Yellow is optimism. I wanted to put light in there. »»
