Stavely, Alberta (photo by V.A. McMillan) |
Canada
First Model – Federal Government
In previous posts I have
explored reforms for the Department of National Defence (https://mtnmanblog.blogspot.com/2021/04/future-cf-structure-from-partisan.html)
and proposed a Canada First Model for Canada’s Army, Navy, and Air Force
(https://mtnmanblog.blogspot.com/2021/06/canada-first-model-land-assets.html , https://mtnmanblog.blogspot.com/2021/05/canada-first-model-for-national-defence.html , https://mtnmanblog.blogspot.com/2021/07/canada-first-model-for-national-defence.html). Now it is time to make suggestions for the federal
government.
Is anyone else sick and
tired of the partisan politics and absolute corruption of our current system of
government? Is there a different way to structure government?? A way that does
not seem like a total waste of our taxpayer’s dollars?? A method that is less
easily corrupted and exploited by career politicians?? Would this be a
conversation worth exploring??
Recently, I overheard a
discussion that explored fragments of this discussion topic. Thus, while I may
take the bull by the horns and run off on a tangent, some of the core ideas are
not my invention. I am merely sharing a version that I believe would be a good
starting point for further discussion and to develop a better solution than our
current corrupted, exploited system of governance.
The single key concept is
a sequestered, citizen, body of government.
This new interpretation of
a representative government would be based on citizen service to their country
and fellow citizens. I will present one of many possible versions that could be
implemented.
To flesh out the concept
here is a quick sketch of the organizational structure:
Org Chart - Sequestered Civic Service |
If we retained the
tradition of a constitutional monarchy we would keep a Governor General
as the monarch’s representative in Canada – basically a figurehead position that
is symbolic.
The Prime Minister
and the Deputy Prime Minister would be the only “elected” positions in
government, for the express duty of being the person(s) who will represent Canada
and the Canadian government. These representatives would be the best of the best
and would never behave in a manner to bring shame to our nation.
The Senate and the
Parliament would be staffed by Canadian citizens who would be sequestered into
their positions to serve Canada and Canadians. This would be a term of civic
servitude that would last up to four (4) years; and a Canadian citizen could
not be asked to serve more than two terms in a lifetime; regardless if this
service was at the federal or provincial level. A citizen could in theory be sequestered
to serve a term in the Senate and the Parliament, or the federal and provincial
Parliament, or the federal Senate and provincial Parliament.
Eligible Canadian
citizens would include natural born Canadians and those who have lawfully
immigrated to Canada and become citizens. Corporations, illegal aliens, and any
other non-human entity could not become a member of government.
Once the transition to
the new form of government had been made, rotation of periods of service would
be offset. Meaning that no more than 50% of the government would be replaced at
any one time. Thus, a four (4) year period of service would include two (2)
years with one cohort and two (2) years with another cohort. The theory being,
that the living wisdom of government operations would not die every four (4)
years. However, it may be necessary to keep a “clean up” clause in the founding
documents to allow for recall in the event that corruption infiltrates the program,
and a restart is required to preserve the Canadian way of life.
One of the first pieces
of legislation would be the “Sequestered Services Act” which would establish
into law that Canadian citizens sequestered into service of their nation would
be required to be given an absence from their current employer and would
guarantee a return to employment upon release from their civic duty.
Finally, since Canadian
citizens would be required to serve their country, they would be paid for their
service, housing would be provided, and transportation costs would be covered
during their term of service. Since sequestered citizens may not know
everything about their assignment they would be expected to consult with the
citizens from their area to learn the consensus of the constituents, when
voting on items before the government.
How would you structure
this new governance system?
The federal Senate would
provide representation by province or territory. This would be equal
representation in the form of two representatives for each province or
territory, creating an Upper House of 26. As the Upper House (Senate) is the
check and balance to the Lower House (Parliament), this would ensure that any
legislation was reviewed and confirmed to be in the best interest of Canada,
not just one region or city.
The federal Parliament
would be organized by federal areas of responsibility. For the sake of this discussion,
I have created ten (10) federal areas of responsibility:
· National Defence
· First Nations Liaison
· Communications
· Foreign Affairs
· Taxation
· Citizenship
· Justice
· Treasury
· Transportation
· Industry & Innovation
While my first attempt to
assign representatives was based on:
· Pacific region x1
· Prairie region x1
· Central region x1
· Maritime region x1
· North region x1
I would consider
increasing the number of representatives from Central region to two (2) representatives.
Therefore, in my first iteration the Lower House would have fifty (50)
representatives, while the amended version would have sixty (60).
Change the location of
the Seat of Power
In keeping with other
models of corporate or government change, it would be advisable to move the
Nation’s capitol to prevent a rapid regression back to the old corrupt ways. To
ensure a new start and a fresh outlook on Canada’s future I would recommend
relocating the new Canadian Parliament to McKenzie Island, on Red Lake,
Ontario.
Red Lake from Ottawa |
McKenzie Island is a near
perfect location and represents equality in a truly Canadian fashion…this
location would upset all Canadians equally because it is…
· Too far West to be Eastern Canada
· Too far East to be Western Canada
· Too far North to be Southern Canada, &
· Too far South to be Northern Canada
PERFECT!
McKenzie Island in Red Lake, Ontario |
This location is also a
strategic and tactical nightmare for most attackers, against the government.
Which means it is a good location to sequester Canadian citizens for their term
of civic service. However, several infrastructure upgrades would be required.
· The highway system into Red Lake would need to be at minimum two-lanes in each direction. Easiest solution would be to build a new four-lane divided highway into the area, that would join Highway #17 just West of Vermillion Bay, Ontario.
Possible Route for Proposed Highway |
· Red Lake would need to be serviced by a twinned rail line, to bring in bulk deliveries.
· Fibreoptic service would be required from Red Lake to North Bay. A connection into the World Wide Web would be polite.
· Either a power generation station would need to be located near Red Lake or underground power delivery would be needed to ensure electrical service to the seat of government.
· Two airports would be needed for servicing travel requirements of the sequestered civic employees. One would need to be an international airport. The other would want to be a military airport.
· A Canadian Forces base would want to be located within one tactical bound of the Red Lake, with all the necessary defence technologies and staff to protect a nation’s capitol city.
· The National Emergency Operations Centre would be located on McKenzie Island, preferably in a hardened, subterranean bunker system.
The current Parliament Hill complex in Ottawa, Ontario would be preserved as a national museum and archives. It would likely become a very popular tourist destination.
This is just the first
look and exploration of the concept of employing sequestered Canadian citizens
into civic duty as an effective replacement to the current, corrupt, exploited
system of governance. I hope this has given you cause to pause and reflect on
what possible solutions are needed to keep Canada from being corrupted and
tarnished in the eyes of Canadians and citizens of the world.
Until next time…listen
for ideas to stir your imagination!
Mountainman.