Linking Social Justice to Political Health

We are aware of how sufficient numbers of citizens and their perseverance can lead to real political change; as well as the need for effective leadership to provide a clear vision. For certain influential leaders such as Martin Luther King Jr. during the civil rights movement, Nelson Mandela with the fight to end apartheid, and Tommy Douglas who established Medicare in Canada, this vision adopts a particular form of social justice. Recently, I finished reading “A Healthy Society” by Ryan Meili, a Saskatchewan doctor, which provided a short but well-rounded primer on this subject.

The Need for Tone at the Top

In my previous post, “Political Health in Action,” I provided examples on how grassroots movements are effective in influencing change and therefore, a key component of political health. However, political leaders need to set good examples as well, for they can be a source of inspiration for others to follow. 

Not to mention, good political leaders need to reach out to their adversaries and grassroots organizations to ensure policy is drafted in the interests of all stakeholders. But what happens when political leadership is absent from a critical issue?

Political Health in Action

At the beginning of the month, I outlined the three principles of political health, those being citizen participation, social justice, and institutional integrity. Of these three, citizen participation is by far the most important, yet the most neglected.

Too many people in Western society tend to believe our opinions do not matter and/or we do not have much time to be informed of current affairs, let alone take action. These beliefs could not be further from the truth, and I will briefly describe some examples and a few action items on what you can do to improve your political health.

The Premise for Political Health

Greetings, Heal4Lifer's! 

Welcome to my first post discussing political health. 

Before proceeding, I would like to provide a bit about myself. I’m from Moncton, New Brunswick, a BBA graduate from Bishop’s University in 2008, and a Certified Management Accountant residing in Toronto. 

My active living passion since my childhood is cycling, whether it was for doing errands around town, long distance bike rides during the weekend, or training for the upcoming Ride for Heart on June 2, 2013. My other passion is politics, in which I pursued a political studies minor in university and have been active with a local riding association in various capacities since last year.