THUNDER BAY – There is a new political party in Canada – The Online Party of Canada. The party offers Canadians yet another choice from the traditional parties. The party, which has not achieved official status as yet has set some lofty goals. The Online Party seeks “To become the backbone of a truly democratic system where everyone who has the right to vote can freely express their opinion in an open forum in regards to any issue, vote and have their vote counted equally to any other voter, in a real-time and verifiable manner”.
“The internet is the game changer” opines Michael Nicula, the founder of the Online Party of Canada (OPC). The information spreads fast and cheap via social networking, and this is our only hope that someday people will be inspired and interested in the way their elected representatives run the government, and will participate in the political dialogue”.
“The Online Party of Canada pledges to support through its representatives only the majority position on a particular issue. OPC will not compromise, will not allow its representatives to promote their own agenda, and will not make ‘political deals’ with any other political organization”.
The party has not made a great deal of main-stream media impact, at least not yet. It appears to be growing online, with its website, and Facebook page.
Chances are, it will take a while for such an idea to catch on with Canadians. The overall shift coming in how politics is done could, in Canada offer greater use of technology for votes by MPs and MPPs and City Councillors. It is likely that the idea of an “Online Party” is a stepping stone today that direction if Canadians are interested.
One of the focuses of the Online Party is the perceived lack of faith that Canadians have in their politicians. In a statement issued by the Online Party they state, “A well-known fact, not even the politicians dispute it: most Canadians are turned off by politics, distrust politicians and government. Politicians work on their own agendas, making political deals, largely ignoring that the voters want them to do, until the next elections. The promises made during the campaigns are widely accepted as lies, yet, we re-elect people we don’t trust. There’s absolutely no mechanism in place to hold them accountable – well, they also make the rules”.
As the name suggests, the party seeks to use new technology to impact the political arena. “The internet is the game changer” opines Mr. Michael Nicula,
founder of the Online Party of Canada (OPC). The information spreads fast and cheap via social networking, and this is our only hope that someday people will be inspired and interested in the way their elected representatives run the government, and will participate in the political dialogue”.
The group asserts, “The current political system is set in such way that the incumbents have a huge, unfair advantage at the polls due to name recognition and years of using their position to secure more funding. Given the high rate of incumbency, sweeping changes are next to impossible, and the newcomers to the political scene are perceived to become ‘tainted’ quickly as they often forget what they promised during the campaign and join the political games in preparation for next elections”.
Nicula states, “The cause and also the consequence of current status is the fact that most Canadians are turned off and do not participate in the political process. Going to the polls is not enough! We must put a bit of effort into it – read about the issues and more importantly get to know the candidates. When in doubt, vote someone new; if we keep electing incumbents, change cannot happen. Politicians are happy to see us uninterested or absent from the polls, because ironically, by not participating we support the ‘status quo’.”
“Many Canadians don’t vote at all, and those who do, often vote out of anger simply by picking the other side, admitting that ‘they’re not much better’. The smaller parties don’t stand a chance, given the importance of money and regulations; not even rich people can break through!,” he concludes.
Will it work? Only time will tell.
You can check it out yourself at www.onlineparty.ca