Would term limits deliver better government?

Ever wonder about declining voter turnout? Or the rising popularity of third parties? Or the increasing frequency of one-term governments? Do you complain about the political process or the decisions made by politicians on your behalf? Maybe it is time to consider term limits and move away those interested in a career in politics.

I believe that the vast majority of those who enter public life – either at the municipal, provincial or federal level – do so to make a difference to their communities, their province or their country. Let’s be honest. Politics does not always attract the best and brightest from society to run for public office.

It seems like a lot of political decisions are made (or sometimes not made), not in the best interests of the public, but in the interests of the political party in power and the desire to stay in power. The history of running deficits in Atlantic Canada is testament to this desire. The accumulation of debt is the price paid by citizens, especially future generations, to keep parties in government.

In Prince Edward Island, the public debt exceeds $2 billion ($14,774 per capita) and the interest to be paid on that debt in the current fiscal year is nearly $130 million and rising. Public debt always seems to increase without any real plan to pay down that debt. Citizens are led to believe that debt is not a problem. The fact that there is little to show for this accumulated debt speaks volumes to the decision-making motivations of governments from all political stripes to stay in power at the expense of the taxpayer. For many politicians, the job is actually the best job they ever had and there is personal motivation to do whatever necessary to keep those jobs. As a consequence, too many politicians put personal interests ahead of the interests of those who elected them. Would term limits make a difference?

The general public appears to believe so based on their support of terms limits on the Island for all three levels of government. More than two in three Islanders support term limits for provincial and federal politicians, while more than six in 10 support term limits for municipal politicians based on research conducted by Narrative Research (formerly Corporate Research Associates Inc.), most recently in late 2016.

What are some of the pros and cons associated with term limits? Likely one of the biggest negatives of term limits is losing politicians who are good at their jobs, serve their constituents well and act in the public interest at all times. In reality, this is likely the only good reason for not instituting term limits in government. There are many more reasons for term limits, including getting rid of otherwise career politicians who have mediocre records of achievement. One could argue that in a democratic society, the voters should decide who goes and who stays. Unfortunately, voting decisions are often based on very low expectations of the electorate in terms of job performance, which benefits incumbents and leads to long-serving politicians. Declining voter engagement, particularly at the municipal level, contributes to this problem. Think about your municipal councillor or your MLA. What motivates these individuals in your opinion? Whose interests are they really serving? What difference have they made in your life?

I am pretty sure there are millions of Americans who are thankful that there is a two-term limit for their presidency.

And what would be a reasonable term limit for office? Two terms, three terms? Should term limits be the same or different by level of government? Could candidates run again after serving their term limit and waiting for a period of time to run again? All good questions worth consideration. The biggest barrier to term limits is really the very people that would be affected by term limits, the politicians themselves. It is highly unlikely that politicians would impose term limits on themselves without the public demanding such limits.

One of the possible benefits of term limits might be in the attraction of more highly qualified individuals, particularly those nearing the end of their careers, willing to serve for a limited period of time and not interested in a career as a politician.

Personally, I’m on the fence. What about you?