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The Democratic Party in the U.S. officially nominated Kamala Harris this week as its presidential candidate at its national convention in Chicago. Last month the Republican Party endorsed Donald Trump as its candidate at its convention in Milwaukee. For both theatrically staged events, despite some inspiring moments, I found myself rolling my eyes far too often in listening to the exceedingly partisan speeches and over-the-top rhetoric.

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Each party blames the other for crime rates, cost of living, shortage of housing and a host of other issues, citing various statistics and anecdotes. Speakers on both sides of the political divide promise — with voices rising to a crescendo and fists in the air — that if their party’s candidate is elected, they will put Americans back to work, clean up the streets, make housing accessible again, offer hope for the future with a brighter tomorrow. Do hollow slogans like “make America great again” or “when we fight, we win” really mean anything?

Political stump speeches, rallies and conventions in this country are not that different. Liberals and Conservatives alike seem to claim that only by electing them will our country be able to flourish and avoid the perils that the other party has wrought upon us.

It appears that we’re more divided than ever, with partisan bickering prevalent at almost every level and legislative body. The grouping of elected officials into competing political parties naturally breeds polarization. With elections every few years, the quest for power forces opposing parties to criticize and block anything their rivals propose in order to knock them down a peg and win the next campaign. The party system itself works against collaboration and the consequential polarization is a source of much discord, tension and at times even violence.

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Political parties aren’t mentioned in the U.S. or Canadian constitutions. They evolved naturally as vehicles for individuals who share ideologies to direct government policy, in response to social, cultural and economic developments. But perhaps it’s time for some reflection as to whether the best interests of society are being served.

The role of government at all levels is primarily to provide services for the population. The federal government in Canada oversees the postal service, employment insurance, national defence, passports, etc. The provinces provide health care and education, for example. If the core work of government is in delivering services, it should be devoid of partisan considerations and better focused on efficiency.

Most municipal governments have no party affiliations. They are composed of councillors representing geographic districts and work effectively on an issue-by-issue basis. Elected provincial MNAs and federal MPs should be the voice of their respective riding populations, not diminished in their ability to represent their region or debate issues on their merits because of their party’s electorally driven considerations. For example, as a minority community, Quebec anglophones unfortunately know that their riding representatives won’t always have their backs, often being obliged to toe the party line.

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Furthermore, parties are typically identified by their location on the political spectrum between left and right. But here, too, are contradictions. Someone may favour right-wing fiscal policy, espoused by the Republican or Conservative party, yet be much closer to the Democrats or Liberals when it comes to gun-control legislation or a woman’s reproductive right to choose.

Are there alternative solutions? Perhaps one option could be an independent elected leader who forms alliances, a representative executive committee and/or individual committees overseeing various aspects of society. They would set the agenda for an elected, non-partisan body to then deliberate upon.

Parties have organized politics for centuries. Considering the blind partisanship and disunity that the system has come to inculcate in governance, it may be time to assess its impact on society and examine other models.

Robert Libman is an architect and planning consultant who has served as Equality Party leader and MNA, mayor of Côte-St-Luc and a member of the Montreal executive committee.

x.com/robertlibman

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