Editor,

I totally agree with your thoughts on the performance contract issue.  I wish we had this system here in Canada!  So many people here are disillusioned by the "politicians” making promises they have no intention of keeping. 

"Politicians” continue to tell us what they think we want to hear to convince us to vote for them.  When the time comes to deliver on those promises they do not produce and make excuses for their failure to uphold their end of the bargain. 

It’s extremely frustrating and as a result , the population is getting less inclined to vote at all.  Here are some statistics showing that trend:

Since 1988, the percentage of Canadians voting in federal elections has declined significantly. Over 75 percent of Canadians voted in the 1988 federal election. By contrast, only 60.5 percent of eligible Canadians voted in the 2004 federal election.

This trend, however, was moderately reversed in 2006 when 64.7 percent of eligible voters participated. Nevertheless, the turnout rate remains well below historical averages.

As a former provincial government employee, I grew increasingly angry at the apathy I was seeing from our so-called "leaders.”  When I raised concerns about the serious decline in customer service and accountability, I was told, on numerous occasions, that I "shouldn’t worry so much”, "there is no such thing as a "rush”, "your clients can wait”.

When I said that we, as "civil servants”, had an obligation to the public since they paid our wages I was perceived as a person with 2 heads and 8 limbs!  Yes, the apathy extended all the way down through the ranks! 

As long as they are getting their very generous pay cheques everything is just fine!  I became so frustrated and angry by all this that I decided retirement was a better option than trying to be a good civil servant and attempting to fulfill my obligations to the tax payers. 

If Canada were to implement the performance contracts , I think we would see some positive change but that is a very unlikely scenario since that would seriously hinder the status quo that our politicians now enjoy!

Marie Collins

Canada