The Liberals Have It.

 

 

 

Comments.    Considerations.     Questions.

                    

                                       

                           by Kenneth Bagnell

              

 

       It’s now a half century since, in the late 1960s, a Prime Minister named Trudeau took office and appointed a cabinet made up entirely of men. Now, many years later, another Prime Minister Trudeau has taken office and has chosen a cabinet made up of numerous men and numerous women. A new age has come and most, not all, Canadians like it. The national conversation is not just talk about fulfilling women’s rights; the country has now acted upon such rights. The new Trudeau cabinet has women with major responsibility at every level including Justice. Justin Trudeau shows that he’s not just a Prime Minister, but even more, one for today’s Canada.

      The decision to have a cabinet of fifty percent male, fifty percent female is a sensitive first tactic. It makes a clear firm statement. However, in future, we should hope the divisions can be flexible so that we may have 70 percent female, 30 percent male or the reverse on into our future. Merit must be what always truly matters, then comes regional considerations, professional experience and personal integrity — all reasonable aspects for assuming federal ministry. At a first quick review that seems to have been the case with Prime Minister Trudeau’s first cabinet.

      No appointment is free from query and consideration. In the riding of Toronto Centre – generally regarded as the heart of downtown Toronto with about 94,000 residents— the new MP, Bill Morneau, has been given the most senior responsibility in the cabinet: Minister of Finance. Naturally since he’s fresh to federal politics, the public and the media are interested in his background and credibility. Both are impressive: he holds degrees in business from two high standard business institutions, one being the London School of Economics. He heads a human resources firm Morneau Shepell, founded by his father in 1966, now with almost 4,000 employees. (Not surprisingly, his assets will be placed in a blind trust as with others who have held his post including the two Paul Martins. Some think it probable that Justin Trudeau will do likewise since he’s reported to be well off.) Moreover, Morneau is a respected community volunteer – Chair of a large downtown hospital, St Michael’s, and an active volunteer at a homeless shelter called Covenant House. Given all this, we have reason to believe he’s both competent and ethical. Some onlookers question the inexperience of some of the new cabinet members.  But, one of Canada’s longest serving Ottawa columnists — roughly 40 years — the Globe & Mail’s Jeffrey Simpson spoke to that today: “It will sound partisan but it conforms to reality to observe that this collection of Liberal MPs, from an intellectual point of view, is streets ahead of the collection it is replacing on the government side of the house.”     

     Most informed observers of the election of the Liberal party give two reasons for the major defeat of the Conservatives and preference for the Liberals. One, the most obvious, was the Harper style of heavy handed governance which needs no elaboration. The second is more economically grounded hence somewhat provocative: the publically welcomed Liberal plan to increase spending on infrastructure, mostly highways, by roughly 17 billion dollars spread over several years and financed by maybe accepting three years of deficits. This, say informed observers, is both desirable and plausible. Naturally, not everybody agrees, some regarding it as excessive and short sighted. It’s not. Over recent years, the country would have benefitted from this vision since it would have facilitated transport and in turn substantial economic welfare.

       The Trudeau government will do us all a favor if it can, maybe by working magic, and thereby help morale in the civil service. In all my years meeting them here and there and gaining their confidence, I have, so help me, almost never met a happy civil servant, virtually all the way up to professional diplomats and their spouses overseas in external affairs. Morale seems even worse than a radio and television network I will not identify, other than to say it’s publically owned. Yes, that one. (Yes, yes, I know they sound happy but that’s on the air.)  At least the Ottawa public servants, will have better possibility for improved morale now that the stern governance of Mr. Harper’s years is gone, gone, gone. No wonder I was pleased yesterday  (Thursday Nov.  5) to see Globe & Mail columnist Konrad Yakabuski deal with this very subject in a somewhat — how shall I put it? –  colorful way:  “Stephen Harper’s parting thank-you note to the bureaucrats – telling them in a Monday missive that he  ‘will always be grateful for the support of Canada’s world class public service’ was promptly used by its recipients to line the bird cages of the capital…”( I’m still laughing, Konrad.)

      I expect that most Canadians, exclusive of course from the hard shell Harperites, have a sense that somehow the very air is easier to breath and life easier to live. Truly. Take, not just the wider presence of women in the cabinet, but a cultural diversity that makes life better for all. Just consider these newcomers: Amarjeet Sohi, of Edmonton, overseeing infrastructure; Lt-Col. (and former police chief Harjist Sajjan heading defense; Maryam Monsef overseeing democratic institutions; native chief Jody Wilson Raybould in justice; Hunter Tootoo in fisheries. Just consider these brief illustrations and be guided by facts not bias:

      (1)Harjit Sajjan: he was born in India, came to Canada at age five, and was raised in Vancouver. He was a city police officer for 11 years, in time becoming a Lt. Colonel in Canada’s Overseas Armed Force, serving tours in Afghanistan. He’s married to a family physician and is father to two children.     

      (2)Maryam Monsef. Twenty years ago, she and her family fled the Taliban (a warring fundamentalist group) and were welcomed in Peterborough, Ontario. She became a graduate of Trent University, and has worked, not just at Trent but Fleming College and Peterborough Economic Development. She had also served at The New Canadian Centre, helping young men and women reach their full potential.

      (3) Amarjeet Sohi: he was born in India, moved to Canada and chose to live in Edmonton working as a bus driver. Once, in 1988, he returned to Punjab, was wrongly accused and jailed for 19 months until Canada’s diplomats proved his innocence and had him released. Back in Edmonton, he became a city councillor then served as a police commissioner. He has been highly active in community service becoming Vice President of the Alberta Urban Municipalities Association. He also helped establish the city’s efforts on Seniors Poverty Elimination. He’s been given numerous civic awards and is actively engaged in Edmonton’s interfaith movement.

   (4) Jody Wilson-Raybould: she has the highly responsible position of Minister of Justice. She’s a graduate in arts and law from UBC, and has served two terms as regional chief of the BC Assembly of First Nations. In her professional life she has been a Crown Prosecutor, and chose to seek federal office because of the lack of confidence in the former Prime Minister she felt during an Idle No More Demonstration of First Nations people. She is one of eight aboriginal members in the Liberal caucus.

    (5) Hunter Tootoo: a former speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Nunavut, Tootoo is also a founder of a business affiliated with the Arctic Insurance Brokers Ltd. His appointment has brought keen appreciation from the people of his constituency. Nunuvut’s Premier described the attitude of his fellow citizens as “quite excited.” Tootoo’s responsibilities take him frequently coast to coast.

 

       More? There are numerous other examples of men and women some might overlook, but they have both professional and life experience to make a fine cabinet. For whatever reason, I often think most Canadians feel more hopeful than they openly reveal. I sense it in conversations. The people have decided. The people were right.  For me, their decision recalls a quotation from my now distant childhood. Shakespeare wrote it:  “It’s not in the stars to hold our destiny but in ourselves.”

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