Date: Wednesday, November 20th, 2024
Time: 6:00pm – 10:00pm, the lecture begins promptly at 6:30pm, reception to follow
Location: Richcraft Hall 2nd Floor Atrium and Lecture Theatre
Public trust in democratic institutions is essential to our system of governance. Trust requires that governing institutions are responsive to citizens’ needs, but it is also shaped by the degree to which values of openness, integrity and fairness are upheld by those institutions and the people working in them (OECD, 2022). While Canada enjoys well-developed mechanisms for monitoring and enforcing ethical conduct by members of Cabinet, Parliamentarians, unelected advisors and public servants, we are not immune from the global trends towards declining public trust, suspicion of the integrity of those in public life, and risks of what Pippa Norris has termed democratic backsliding (Norris, 2023).
This lecture aims to create a venue for multi-partisan reflection on the evolution of civility in political discourse and political practices, and the impacts on citizen trust and engagement. This event will host a panel of past Parliamentarians who can reflect on the need for mutual respect across party lines, civility in politics, how times are changing, and how to restore trust in our democratic institutions.
