True signs of leadership sometimes come at the strangest times!!
Another classy performance from Paul Martin.
If he keeps this up, Canadians won't want him to leave!!!
Thursday, February 02, 2006
Loyalty in Leadership
Outgoing Prime Minister Paul Martin is scheduled to respond to the final report of the Gomery Commission Today - the process that many claim defeated the Liberals in the recent federal election. While I think the defeat is much more complicated than that, I wonder what purpose it will servce to respond to the report that clearly now has little to do with the current environment.
What happened with sponsorship was wrong and those responsible have paid a price. While you and I would have gone to jail for this kind of action, the real story, i believe, is much more complicated and less cloak and dagger than Gomery and the Media have made it out to be. This all transpired during the potential breakup of our country. What would you do to prevent the country from breaking up? Cutting corners is wrong, but I can clearly see how it might evolve to that.
So now, many months later, the process has come to its logical conclusion and Prime Minister Harper will pay lip service to a report (which cost as much as the scandal itself) that does not reflect the current conditions in Ottawa. So why comment? Does Martin have anything to say that will not damage the party's standing with Canadians even further. If so, then all the power to you. If not, it wreaks of sour milk and sandbox shinanegans that the Liberal Party and Canadians in general don't need to see.
Think before you speak and remember where your loyalties should lie.
What happened with sponsorship was wrong and those responsible have paid a price. While you and I would have gone to jail for this kind of action, the real story, i believe, is much more complicated and less cloak and dagger than Gomery and the Media have made it out to be. This all transpired during the potential breakup of our country. What would you do to prevent the country from breaking up? Cutting corners is wrong, but I can clearly see how it might evolve to that.
So now, many months later, the process has come to its logical conclusion and Prime Minister Harper will pay lip service to a report (which cost as much as the scandal itself) that does not reflect the current conditions in Ottawa. So why comment? Does Martin have anything to say that will not damage the party's standing with Canadians even further. If so, then all the power to you. If not, it wreaks of sour milk and sandbox shinanegans that the Liberal Party and Canadians in general don't need to see.
Think before you speak and remember where your loyalties should lie.
Tuesday, January 31, 2006
She Made the Dream Come True
Corretta Scott King, the wife of Martin Luther King died today at the age of 78. The manner in which she lived her life was nothing less than inspirational. She did it because she believed, she cared and most of all she loved. A True Leader in every sense.
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A Classy Exit
The following is from Paul Martin to Liberal Supporters. While time for him to go, it has certainly been a classy exit to stage left.
One more curtain call Mr. Martin for a lifetime of service to your country.
Thank you from Paul Martin January 24, 2006
Dear Friends:
At the end of a tremendous campaign I want to thank each and every one of you for your hard work and support. I am so proud of what we have accomplished – in eight weeks and 18 months – for Canada and for Canadians.
The economy has never been stronger. Last month the national rate of unemployment reached a 30 year low. We delivered 8 balanced budgets in a row. We have paid down $60 billion in debt while easing the tax burden on every Canadian. These are impressive numbers – but consider what they represent: for Canadians today it is easier to find work and to pay the bills, easier to afford a home. It's easier to bring up families and to provide for them.
We all worked hard for this and we should all be proud. But what we should be proud of most of all is that we didn't take any of this for granted – we built on it. We accepted our prosperity and we reinvested it – in one another, in Canada.
Working with the provinces, working together we laid the foundation for a national program for early learning and child care – the first new social program in a generation. We strengthened our public health care system – lowering wait times, expanding access to hospitals, extending research. We set aside millions to clean up our rivers and streams, lakes and oceans; and billions more in new technologies and new ideas to deal with climate change. We brought the cities and communities we live in to the national table. We invested in their needs directly.
We reached an historic agreement with First Nation, Métis and Inuit leaders to raise the living standards of Aboriginal Canadians. We stood up for the Charter of Rights and Freedoms – declaring that every person's rights should be protected. We stood on the world stage and spoke with a clear, strong voice, and acted with compassion, generosity and resolve in the face of need, in the face of tragedy.
We have done all this looking forward. Because we in Canada believe that what we represent is where the world is going. A country that will never stray from the values on which it was founded: mutual respect, fairness and generosity. A country where every person has an equal opportunity – to contribute and to benefit from our collective prosperity.
We have accomplished so much. We have prepared Canada for great things. We did it together.
Thank you.
One more curtain call Mr. Martin for a lifetime of service to your country.
Thank you from Paul Martin January 24, 2006
Dear Friends:
At the end of a tremendous campaign I want to thank each and every one of you for your hard work and support. I am so proud of what we have accomplished – in eight weeks and 18 months – for Canada and for Canadians.
The economy has never been stronger. Last month the national rate of unemployment reached a 30 year low. We delivered 8 balanced budgets in a row. We have paid down $60 billion in debt while easing the tax burden on every Canadian. These are impressive numbers – but consider what they represent: for Canadians today it is easier to find work and to pay the bills, easier to afford a home. It's easier to bring up families and to provide for them.
We all worked hard for this and we should all be proud. But what we should be proud of most of all is that we didn't take any of this for granted – we built on it. We accepted our prosperity and we reinvested it – in one another, in Canada.
Working with the provinces, working together we laid the foundation for a national program for early learning and child care – the first new social program in a generation. We strengthened our public health care system – lowering wait times, expanding access to hospitals, extending research. We set aside millions to clean up our rivers and streams, lakes and oceans; and billions more in new technologies and new ideas to deal with climate change. We brought the cities and communities we live in to the national table. We invested in their needs directly.
We reached an historic agreement with First Nation, Métis and Inuit leaders to raise the living standards of Aboriginal Canadians. We stood up for the Charter of Rights and Freedoms – declaring that every person's rights should be protected. We stood on the world stage and spoke with a clear, strong voice, and acted with compassion, generosity and resolve in the face of need, in the face of tragedy.
We have done all this looking forward. Because we in Canada believe that what we represent is where the world is going. A country that will never stray from the values on which it was founded: mutual respect, fairness and generosity. A country where every person has an equal opportunity – to contribute and to benefit from our collective prosperity.
We have accomplished so much. We have prepared Canada for great things. We did it together.
Thank you.
Back For Good
Okay - the absence has been too long.
I could say It's my internal procrastinator kicking in or I could say that I have been really really busy, but I actually think this one is deeper than that.
Back in December I urged folks (not that anyone actually reads this) to vote with their gut feelings and last Monday they did just that.
Prime Minister Harper is still not rolling quickly off my tongue, but it's a win he and his party deserve. Whether or not I believe in their policies and direction - they gave Canadians the answers they were looking for. They were able to connect better with the electorate - and for that they win the prize.
Now the Liberals must start what should be (if they are truly serious about governing again any time soon) a long and thought provoking leadership hunt. While the usual band of suspects is being touted, they need to take time to reconfirm what being a Liberal in Canada really means.
In many respects, the Liberal Party in Canada and the Democratic Party in the US should spend some time and compare notes. The internal party powerbrokers who lead the party to a place foreign to most child raising, tax paying voters, is not the right direction for parties that were founded on being champions of social and fiscal balance.
So what has this got to do with my not writing for so long. Well, i wasn't sure what was missing in this race for supreme Canadian power (kind of like the final survivor) until today. We were missing a reason to get excited about picking a government and a leader.
Canada, in my opinion, is the greatest country in the world. We are respected around the globe, we are committed to helping those who need it the most and we are proud of our heritage.
In the last decade Canada has experienced continued growth, reductions in unemployment, continued praise on the world stage - all deserved and a result of hard work. But it seems as though there is no big issue to get excited about and without big issues - great leaders don't always emerge.
Frank McKenna, who I beleieve was a great New Brunswick leader at a time when the province needed to feel better about itself, announced yesterday he will not seek the nomination of the Liberal Party. While he cited personal reasons, I wonder if he too is struggling with the defining issue that will seperate parties, invigroate the electorate and create a real passion for one side or the other.
As Stephen Harper ponders his batting lineup and as the Liberals look to lick their wounds and prop up a new leader for the "next time" I think we should all step back and ask ourselves why only 65% of Canadians bothered to vote? Why do the majority of young adults have difficulty connecting with any political party? What is it that Canadians feel passionate about?
The answers to these questions will begin to set the stage for the next Canada - the Canada yet to come.
As we define what that Canada needs to be, future leaders pay attention.
I could say It's my internal procrastinator kicking in or I could say that I have been really really busy, but I actually think this one is deeper than that.
Back in December I urged folks (not that anyone actually reads this) to vote with their gut feelings and last Monday they did just that.
Prime Minister Harper is still not rolling quickly off my tongue, but it's a win he and his party deserve. Whether or not I believe in their policies and direction - they gave Canadians the answers they were looking for. They were able to connect better with the electorate - and for that they win the prize.
Now the Liberals must start what should be (if they are truly serious about governing again any time soon) a long and thought provoking leadership hunt. While the usual band of suspects is being touted, they need to take time to reconfirm what being a Liberal in Canada really means.
In many respects, the Liberal Party in Canada and the Democratic Party in the US should spend some time and compare notes. The internal party powerbrokers who lead the party to a place foreign to most child raising, tax paying voters, is not the right direction for parties that were founded on being champions of social and fiscal balance.
So what has this got to do with my not writing for so long. Well, i wasn't sure what was missing in this race for supreme Canadian power (kind of like the final survivor) until today. We were missing a reason to get excited about picking a government and a leader.
Canada, in my opinion, is the greatest country in the world. We are respected around the globe, we are committed to helping those who need it the most and we are proud of our heritage.
In the last decade Canada has experienced continued growth, reductions in unemployment, continued praise on the world stage - all deserved and a result of hard work. But it seems as though there is no big issue to get excited about and without big issues - great leaders don't always emerge.
Frank McKenna, who I beleieve was a great New Brunswick leader at a time when the province needed to feel better about itself, announced yesterday he will not seek the nomination of the Liberal Party. While he cited personal reasons, I wonder if he too is struggling with the defining issue that will seperate parties, invigroate the electorate and create a real passion for one side or the other.
As Stephen Harper ponders his batting lineup and as the Liberals look to lick their wounds and prop up a new leader for the "next time" I think we should all step back and ask ourselves why only 65% of Canadians bothered to vote? Why do the majority of young adults have difficulty connecting with any political party? What is it that Canadians feel passionate about?
The answers to these questions will begin to set the stage for the next Canada - the Canada yet to come.
As we define what that Canada needs to be, future leaders pay attention.
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