Voters Choosing Alienation

The bizarre election of Ruth Ellen Brosseau serves to remind us that voting for party labels instead of candidates further separates voters from elected representatives.

Much has been said lately about Ruth Ellen Brosseau, the new Honourable Member of Parliament representing the Quebec constituency of Berthier-Maskinongé North of Montreal. Not ever having set foot in the riding before or during the election, she won with a convincing plurality, some six thousand votes ahead of the Bloc Quebecois incumbent.

There have been charges that signatures obtained for Brosseau’s nomination were falsified. Commentators have drawn attention to her age and inexperience, and to her inability to function in French, the language of 98 per cent of her constituents. The latest gaffe is the inaccurate claim that Brosseau is a college graduate.

Brosseau first gained notoriety for her absence, having taken a Las Vegas vacation while the campaign was in full swing. Candidates are typically expected to campaig…