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International Day of Democracy

Ontario’s Lt Governor and Elections Ontario hosted a thoughtful discussion for the UN's International Day of Democracy.

Democracy has clearly won the global political debate. Yet everywhere, democracies are in crisis.

I think this is because to be genuine, democracy must be about more than just voting for governments; it must include meaningful public participation and public accountability between elections.

In February 1993, Prime Minister Brian Mulroney announced his retirement from politics and a new PM needed to be chosen. Eventually, the party chose Kim Campbell to become the first female Prime Minister of Canada. 

Later in the fall of 1993, an election was called. The Liberal opponent running against Kim Campbell in her riding of Vancouver Centre was Hedy Fry. Hedy Fry only agreed to run if the Liberal party leader (Jean Chretien) agreed to include sexual orientation as a human right. He agreed and she ran for the Liberals. Fry defeated Kim Campbell in the election. Fry was only the fifth person to unseat a sitting prime minister, and the first to do so on his or her first try for office.

And this is why her office staff is 99% gays and she marches in Vancouver’s pride parade in drag.