In a column two weeks ago, I ventured the heretical opinion that the politicians we elect do not receive enough appreciation for the hard work and long hours they put in and for the stress their jobs create for their families. Their task becomes especially trying during a pandemic.
Would anyone care to second a motion that we declare a National Day of Appreciation for Politicians?
Anyone?
Perhaps not. Our instinct as citizens, taxpayers and voters is to criticize and condemn, not to compliment and thank, the men and women we elect to do the heavy lifting of democracy.
But surely this is an appropriate occasion – a year into the COVID-19 pandemic – to contemplate what a bruising year it has been for elected representatives. Although I’m thinking of the federal variety, provincial politicians have taken their share of the bruising.
Chief Executive Officer
The Firm
Buckingham Palace
London SW1A 1AA
England
Dear Sir or Madam,
I understand you are the person, the chief executive, who manages the business of the House of Windsor. I have scoured your website – royal.uk – and diligently researched other sources. Yet I have been unable to find any trace of you. No name, no gender, no job title. Would I offend you enormously if I called you CE?
No one has ever claimed that Canada is a breeze to govern. We have too few people spread too thinly over too much territory, too many overlapping layers of government, too many politicians scuffling over jurisdiction – and over cash. Not to mention a constitutional division of powers written in and for the age of the horse and buggy.
As a general proposition, the upper levels of the federal and provincial governments in this country are well stocked with informed, capable people – cabinet ministers, deputy ministers and heads of major boards and agencies. They don’t have to be rocket scientists – we had one of those at Rideau Hall and how did that turn out? – but for the most part, they are smart, responsible people, sensitive to the policies and priorities of their governments.
