Politicians, listen up: it’s time to make our voices heard.

Last Tuesday, federal Liberal Party leader Michael Ignatieff visited Hawkesbury and, standing on a terrace after his speech was made, he took a moment to listen to the health-care woes of a Grenville resident, the latter claiming he was being unjustly charged for expenses. Ignatieff spoke with the man briefly, took a copy of the documentation he provided, and handed it to his main assistant.
Later that evening, a rowdy public council meeting got underway in Grenville-sur-la-Rouge, when employees of the municipality's garage showed up to inquire about a work shortage and complain about the lack of direction provided by their foreman. Before the public could enter the building to attend the meeting, however, three municipal councillors decidedly and visibly left the premises - citing a conflict - leaving the remaining three to face a puzzled and slightly-miffed crowd. In the end, the meeting had to be adjourned and rescheduled due to a lack of quorum.
At the outset, the aforementioned anecdotes are examples of either good public listening skills or of poor public listening skills. On the one hand, Ignatieff took a moment to listen to the man's concerns, while the Grenville-sur-la-Rouge council members left before the concerns of their employees could be listened to. On the other hand, the Liberal Party leader may very well never find the time to address the situation presented to him that afternoon in Hawkesbury, while the absent council members may have previously heard the employees' concerns and could be working on a solution as this paper goes to print.
The point is that we, as the public, need our voices to be heard and we should want our voices to be heard. We have things to talk about, to complain about, to praise, and to wag our fingers at. You, as readers, send letters to the editor complaining about hospital wait times, praising community efforts, and wagging your fingers at decisions made by municipal councils or school board administrations.
Sometimes, and perhaps more often than not, shaking our heads at articles written in the newspaper or venting our frustrations on Facebook will simply not cut it. We have to aim higher, and perhaps look at generations past, to get a better idea of how to get a politician's attention.
Like him or not, Ignatieff's national tour might be one such opportunity to meet with a high-ranking federal politician and make your voice heard. Showing up at a council meeting is another way to express dissatisfaction with your municipal administration; the reaction of the Grenville-sur-la-Rouge council members is, to some degree, an indication that the process is effective.
A more simple and locally-focused way of voicing your concerns is the massive, $165,000 economic development survey that the United Counties of Prescott-Russell is currently undertaking. The public is free to submit their suggestions online and, despite the indirect and far-removed nature of the process, at least one can be sure that somewhere, somehow, their comments are being noted down and compiled. We at the newspaper have seen and heard our fair share of good suggestions for the region's development - if you've got one more to add, why not take this opportunity to try it? And then follow up with your local council to see if they will consider implementing it.
This is why we elect members of Parliament, provincial and federal alike, as well as local mayors and ward councillors. They are our voice on council and in the House of Commons, but without a little prodding in the right direction, they will continue to act independently of their constituents' visions and suggestions for an improved future.
Speaking of elections, Ontarians will soon have the opportunity to elect new representatives or reelect their current ones - municipally, this October, and provincially, in October 2011 - and it's not too late to start listening to what some of these candidates have to say. Election time is a chance for citizens to get closer to the man or woman behind the political desk. Are the words coming out of their mouths really, and truthfully, their own? If not, who is behind those words? Better yet, are they willing to listen to your words, and will they actually make an effort to consider them - if and when they are elected?
Just some electoral food for thought.