Since the release of the Gomery Report, federal politics has been dominated by questions of non-confidence, opposition days and Liberal intransigence. As voters, we are forced to deal with the tawdry spectacle of our highest-ranking office holders trying their best to convince the public that their parties care about anything beyond the most recently polling figures.

The most significant theme that has emerged of late in this discussion is the reluctance on the part of most to engage in a campaign over the Christmas period. The prospect of having to listen to attack ads after Christmas dinner sends Canadians into justifiable fits of pre-emptive indigestion. However, a general unwillingness to participate in the political process due to the festive season is not enough to persuade us that an non-confidence motion should not be moved at the earliest possible date.

Sadly, the problem of voter apathy is not limited to a particular season. In 1988, 75.3 per cent of Canadians turned up on election day. It fell continuously over the past two decades and by 2004, turnout had dropped to 60.5 per cent. Should only 57 per cent cast ballots in the case of a quick election call, could we really blame the timing of the vote?

In order to begin the long and necessary process of convincing more people that a participatory democracy is needed for any sort of effective government in Canada, the current stalemate must be ended. At present, precious little is achieved by maintaining the status quo.

The Liberal Party will take advantage of every extra day they are granted in power to butter up voters across the country with funding announcements. The Conservatives have, at long last, moved towards an actual focus on what they would do if they were in power, as in the case of their recently announced accountability plan. That, combined with the ideals-driven platforms likely to come from the NDP and the Green Party, could create an election campaign that has less to do with past corruption and more to do with the future direction of the country. Wishful thinking perhaps, but one can hope.

However, there is one good reason for politicians on all sides to stand down from the parapets, delaying any campaign for at least a few weeks. That reason is the First Minister’s Conference on aboriginal affairs scheduled to take place in Kelowna next Thursday and Friday (November 24 and 25).

“This is an incredible opportunity for us and we can’t let it slip by,” Assembly of First Nations National Chief Phil Fontaine told the CBC. 

He is absolutely right. The Kashechewan debacle has (once again) thrown into sharp relief the pressing need for large-scale action on improving the quality of life in Canada’s aboriginal communities. 

A cursory study of the history of scandals, outrages and shameful episodes anywhere in the world reveals a disturbing tendency. Once the spotlight has moved on and a hotter story breaks elsewhere, the political will and the public pressure for action follows in short order.

It is already happening in this particular case. Last week, the national news media turned away from aboriginal issues to eagerly follow Jack Layton’s every move as the NDP leader tried his best to broker a deal with Paul Martin, Stephen Harper and a doorman at the Royal York Hotel. 

If the government goes down to defeat next Tuesday, then there will be no conference and this would be unacceptable. A final blow struck by a Parliament that seems to have been rendered incapable of doing much besides chasing its own tail.

Nobody expects a two-day First Minister’s meeting to produce a great deal of substance. But it is an opportunity that federal politicians should not allow to pass by due to political gamesmanship. Who knows, waiting until after the conference might actually avoid a Christmas campaign. If it does, at least the timing will have been for the right reason.