In this column I decided to call on my better self and broach a subject that may rattle those under the influence of profound cynicism. I will speak in defence of politicians. To govern is anything but restful. And every day I see yet another example confirming that the task of our politicians isn’t an easy one.
I know you’ll say they chose the job, and right you are. But I don’t know of anyone who offers to stand for political office motivated soley by the desire to offset a certain amount of ennui. No, they do so in order to concretely contribute to the welfare of the society in which they live. And they do so, more often than not, under circumstances that do not inspire any great respect for their profession. Nevertheless their toil merits a dose of admiration, though, evidently, a limited one.
We certainly can’t deny that political bickering evokes every reason to turn our backs on our politicians. Their parliamentary squabbles are nothing to look up to and tend to paint a negative portrait of the whole political class. But, this squabbling comes with the territory, as they say.
Of course, a thirst for power motivates the men and women who choose to enter politics. Nevertheless, we should be careful not to associate this with questionable intentions. Obviously, no one starts off on an adventure that will pull them away from their family for very long hours at a time for the pure pleasure of it. It is the power to change the state of affairs that, for a great majority of politicians, is the primary, and often the sole, motivator.
These people’s intention is to better our society. And they all do it for what they profoundly believe to be good reasons. True, we all have our own notion of what is best. This is quite normal: we don’t all come from the same mold. What is marvellous in our society is our right to disagree. I can guarantee you that few are the politicians who don’t get a taste of others exercising that right on a daily basis.
I go on about the subject because there are, right now, three important leadership races taking place across the country. Liberals from Quebec, Ontario and at the federal level have to choose a new leader soon. I decided to pause for a moment and ponder why so many people aspire to a job that will make life so difficult for them.
The party leader’s task is a difficult and very often thankless one. Even though I am not an enthusiastic partisan of Justin Trudeau, one can only admire that a relatively young man with a family has decided to take the jump. Should he win, his whole family will have to make the necessary sacrifices in order for him to bring about the vision he has in store for Canada.
Beyond the fierce partisanship that often animates our political debates and our stance towards those who choose to serve either their country or their province, we should spare them, at least from time to time, a few kind thoughts.
Translation Monique Kroeger.
