I WAS recently involved in two very different activities related to building a moral economy. One was local; I was a participant. The other was national; I was an observer.
The first was a meeting of people who wonder about the direction in which their community is moving. I came to listen and to ethically reflect.
People raised a series of specific concerns. Behind those concerns were questions of what they believe and value as members of their community. Questions of values are, at their heart, moral questions.
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People recognized there is more to building a city than just building a tax base. It takes coherent planning.
Building a community means respecting the hopes and work of everyone, not just a few. It means having good libraries and parks and schools, and not sacrificing those for the sake of development.
A primary concern at that meeting was that people felt much of the work of the community’s council is done in secret. People felt they didn’t know how decisions were made, supposedly for their benefit. They were frustrated and worried.
The national event I observed was the show trial of Justice Marshall Rothstein. It was a trial worthy of any communist government.
It was a show trial because the people involved were basically told what questions they could ask, and those people weren’t the ones making the decision about the judge’s future.
Prime minister Stephen Harper may wish to bring more openness into his government but he risks turning every appointment of a judge, officer of the Commons or ambassador into a political football game.
In such a game, the best qualification for appointment may be a membership in the political party in power. This raises questions about Harper’s respect for Canada’s parliamentary tradition.
Harper has apparently told cabinet ministers that they must check all their comments with him or his office before they can say much. Key decisions will be made within the prime minister’s office, not openly.
In medicine, transparency is a key ethical issue. Your doctor must explain what she/he plans to do, how it will help you and what the risks are, and explain those in ways you understand. That means you really have a chance to learn what will happen and decide what you want.
The lack of transparency by their community’s council troubled people in the discussion group. Harper’s version of transparency troubles Canadians.
Part of having a better community or nation means citizens seeing what government is doing.
That means seeing whether government actions are done for everyone’s benefit. Canadians want and need transparency in economic decisions, military decisions, environmental decisions.
Non-transparency or show-trial transparency are not good enough.
Rob Brown is a former agricultural writer and broadcaster now doing studies in ethics. He can be reached at cedarrbb@netscape.net.
