I have never been so concerned about the future of Canada. With the federal election around the corner one would hope that party leaders would be addressing important issues that have divided this country. Instead, their focus is on personal attacks against their political opponents, at the same time offering up menial taxpayer-funded programs, such as lowering cell phone bills for Canadians.
Recently, Brian Mulroney pointed out that if you are going to change the political landscape, you must tackle the big issues and avoid getting bogged down in the weeds.
What are some of the virtues of an outstanding prime minister?
I am going to suggest the following: an intelligent, dignified, honest, mature visionary with an unrelenting commitment to serve in the best interest of Canadians, commanding the respect and trust of the people, inspiring them to rise up and attain their full potential in life, which goes a long way to building the foundation for greatness within our society.
Some of us will remember that President John F. Kennedy announced before a special joint session of Congress, the dramatic and ambitious goal of sending an American safely to the moon before the end of the decade. And guess what, the American people got behind JFK’s goal and made it happen. Canada, too, could rise to greatness if we had good leadership.
It can be argued that Canada is no longer a democracy. The problem is excessive leadership dominance. Policy is devised and legislation is dictated by the prime minister and a fanatically disciplined cult within the PMO, the likes of Trudeau’s former principal secretary, Gerald Butts and chief of staff to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Katie Telford.
The foundation of democracy is that of government of the people by the people and for the people, which in Canada can only be achieved by allowing free votes on the floor of the House of Commons and allowing all Members of Parliament to speak freely without fear of reprisal by any parliamentarian or unelected government official.
Who is responsible for this mess? It is a lazy uninformed electorate whose world is confined to inaccurate emotional social-media sentiments that present themselves on mobile devices. It is time for everyone, of all ages, to step up their game.
Paul Kennedy
