“There were a lot of things about our democracy that were surprises to me. For instance, the powers of the Prime Minister are astonishing and although he may think he has the country’s best interests in mind – what if he doesn’t? What is there to stop him? I mean, he can do an awful lot of stuff. I think what I’m trying to say is beware of the ideologue. Keep your eyes peeled for that guy. It was Bertolt Brecht in reference to Hitler who said, ‘The most dangerous man is the certain man’.”

One of Gross’ concerns rests in his feelings that the Canadian citizenry is no longer engaged in the democratic process. The people have either been forced out or rendered irrelevant and the issue of corporate influence looms.

“The corporate structure is not really particularly sympathetic. It’s not really a good symbiotic relationship – corporate structure and democratic structure. One, however, is vastly more efficient than the other. So it’s a logical solution that corporate structure would come to a certain extent to dominate how a democracy is executed.”

Gross sits up.

“At the end of the day I still think we have to take it on our own shoulders. It really is us, and when half of the population doesn’t even bother to participate… I know that I’ve listened to a lot of people argue that we shouldn’t go down the road of having compulsory voting, but I actually think that it’s not a bad idea. Even if someone goes in and spoils their ballot… They have to make some choice or no choice or something, but they’re involved.”