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The United Provinces of Canada has much in common but to speak for the entire country can also be short-sighted if one has not experienced every province or territory. For example, Quebec stands out with a unique system while Alberta is different and both are poles apart from Ontario. But the one thing that might be common is how the public views politicians and legislators. For instance; American emcees fear no upshoot from the release of a song that reprimands the FBI, DEA, CIA, any politician, or the president. You may have the worst time singing politically incorrect lyrics against gays or Jews but singing against political figures will not get you in too much trouble. In that respect, no one, including the media, can question the artist’s absolute freedom of expression.

On the Canadian side of things, the artist may use her expression to promote the women’s movement or gay rights, but overall, most Canadian artists tend to shy away from social or politically conscious subjects about Canadian officials. A few speak freely against the United States while they don’t do the same in Canada. Contrarily, many Canadians take offense when someone points out a flaw in the Canadian system. I noticed that the ordinary Canadian has a god complex towards civil servants, officials or legislators. I have yet to hear a Canadian artist or political activist who refers to C. S. I. S., R. C. M. P, and a specific politician, or the system in a negative way. And this style is not without awareness of the person’s civil or human rights. You will find that CNN reports the Mayor Ford scandal with disdain while CityTV breezes over the subject.

Photo credit: www.cbc.ca

You will have the worst time singing politically incorrect songs against gays or Jews.”

The People are Powerless

Regardless of this, when the mayor of Toronto publicly admitted to his “drunken stupors” and his carefree attitude to the crack pipe, his long-suffering, and often shy citizens finally uproared with rants and the expectation that the mayor would do them a favor and resign. Nevertheless, the mayor will not face any consequence for his actions. His citizens have no authority beyond satire and complaints. I am not an advocate of crack or chaos, but my point is conventional, which is why you should not care much about the scandal itself. The reason is that the Mayor Ford embarrassment is just the tip of the political iceberg in Canada. And this fact is most especially when it comes to the celebrity-like mentality of politicians in the country.

I found a parent/child relationship between the Canadian people and their government. Local authorities are the strict parents while the citizens are the obedient children. The weights and measures are given to a small number of people while government officials assume their entitlement. In theory, politicians are civil servants who somehow, depending on their jobs, vows to honor the will of their constituency but once they get in power, they march in the clouds. You would be hard-pressed to find the Candian equivalent of someone like Dr. Martin Luther King or Tupac Shakur. And this fact does not indicate that Canadians are not politically conscious.

Photo credit: blogs.canoe.com

Because the Mayor Ford embarrassment is just the tip of the political iceberg in Canada.”

Reality vs. Expectation

People expect that the politician will always be modest and reasonable, knowing that he or she is lucky that they gave them the opportunity to work in public office. They also understand that the government may summon one for poor performance. People expect the system to praise the right politicians, but also disgrace the bad ones and kick them out of office. Except, in reality, the politicians have rigged the system so a disgraceful official may remain in their position.

The legislative world in the Middle East and the Third World often work under what I call “legal corruption.” It means that when officials carry out illegal acts, the system rarely punishes them. But the courts will punish an ordinary person for the same conduct. Let’s face it, from ancient Egypt to Greece and Rome. It was common for political figures to take the law into their own hands. Behind the scenes manipulation of the results in the winning of the votes. Or blatant impunity may also be the case. Mayor Ford’s scandal is exciting because monarchical systems are opposite to real democracy. No matter what anyone can say, those politicians can get away with almost anything.

Photo credit: faithgeneration.org

The people expect the system to praise the good politicians, disgrace the bad ones and kick them out of office..”

No One Can Bell The Cat

Ask yourself, who will judge the king? If the king or queen broke the law, who will be the whistleblower? Who will bell the cat? A Republic can sack, exonerate or hold officials accountable for their contradictions. A monarchical system has all essential banks, media, and business sectors plus the ability to inflate taxes and change laws are in the hands of elected officials; who will discipline them?

Once people who are born or raised under a king or a Third World system get this through their heads, they will be in a better position to understand why this mayor remains unchallenged even after acknowledging outrageous acts. The finger cannot be pointed at him because he is just one seed of a bunch. It is a system that gives impunity to political figures. One can vote an individual in, but once they’re in power, one has no way to remove them. This characteristic is a big difference between democratic republics and constitutional monarchy. *

www.freddywill.com

About Post Author

Wilfred Kanu Jr.

Wilfred Kanu Jr., known as Freddy Will, is a Sierra Leonean-born American author, music producer, and recording artist. He writes on history, philosophy, geopolitics, biography, poetry, public discourse, and fiction. He resides in Berlin, Germany, mixing hip-hop music with jazz, calypso, dancehall, classical, r&b, and afrobeat.
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