There was a really nice shot in the paper today of Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau on the lawn outside of Canada’s parliament building. He was doing some sort of a yoga pose. He looked a little silly doing the pose in a suit and tie in between two ladies in appropriate yoga attire. The thing is, when you are not getting much media ink, you take what you can get.
What worries us is that in this dry spell is that Justin might fall back on Consolidated Reports on Approved Policies (C.R.A.P.). When he first announced his candidacy for the Liberal Party leadership, Justin’s office issued some policy C.R.A.P. on his behalf and it landed like the pre-digested manure that it was. He soon realized that this was not going to take wing and he tried to avoid policy discussions for the rest of the campaign. It did not seem to influence his final vote.
But you will notice please that contender Joyce Murray M.P. received a vote well above her weight class because of her use of policy discussion in her campaign. Joyce showed that she was a thinker. She was not often right in her thinking or even liberal but you had to give her marks for the effort. She earned our respect.
Now Justin is faced with a conundrum. He has to encourage the party to think policy. The party needs the discussion. At the same time, Justin has to make sure that the party officials are not trying to channel that policy down the same old C.R.A.P. routes that got the party the low number of seats in the last federal election. The party desperately needs an open and free-wheeling policy meeting. It needs a lot of young people there who are not as constipated as their elders in the party.
We need people discussing the idea of recognizing dental care as part of national health concerns. It needs to be recognized that the federal government has more leverage than the individual provinces in terms of prescription drug needs of Canadians. And if anyone wants to get rid of the silly Senate, then they are going to have to address other needs for constitutional reform. And that means we can dispense with the Crown in a modern Canada. All we have to do is shake off all the old C.R.A.P.
This is not just thinking outside the box, Justin. It is being free to discuss these issues. The Liberal Party has some pretty good thinkers. They need to be encouraged. They need the arguments that will ensue. Their thinking will be better for it.
Justin, there is absolutely no reason for you to be saddled with the same old C.R.A.P. You are the new broom—in the Liberal Party—in Parliament—and in the leadership of our country. You have to lead, not follow.
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Copyright 2013 © Peter Lowry
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