The Small Journey

At times politics just becomes senseless, when partisanship blinds you to larger realities meant to transcend the small and trivial.I had one of those moments today during Question Period and it ended with a sense of embarrassment and a kind of stubbornness. A Conservative backbencher asked his own Minister of Heritage if he could comment on the recently concluded Olympic Games and what they meant to Canada.  James Moore stood up and directly faced the Speaker before responding. He was clearly pleased, as he should have been, yet he refused to use his 30 seconds for partisan advantage.  In thanking all levels of government, the athletes, volunteers and the VANOC committee, he pretty well ran the gamut of all those deserving of praise.  Not once did he mention the words “Conservative government,” nor did he praise his party and deride the others.  It was just a healthy and patriotic response. No sooner had he sat down than I popped up to give him an ovation, not so much for his words but the sentiment behind them. He had praised Canada for a job well done; how could I refuse?  My seatmate, Martha Hall Findlay also stood to show her appreciation.Everything was great until I looked at the opposition benches.  They peered at me as if saying: “What are you doing?”  I know my face turned red then and I was confronted with the choice of sitting down quickly or to remain standing until the appreciation was finished.  I opted for the latter, as did Martha.The partisanship of the last few years has robbed us of many things: the ability to inspire, to cooperate, to deal seriously with policy issues, and sometimes to just be friends.  But when it robs us of our chance to stand together to applaud our country and those who did it proud over the last few weeks, it has definitely diminished us all.  Peter McKay stood a couple of weeks ago and praised our troops.  We all stood then.  A Bloc member received a standing ovation when she praised the sheer dedication of the Quebec athletes at the Olympics themselves.But on this day we were just too testy.  In our sparring with one another, we forgot to look out and stand with all Canadians at what has been a remarkable success.  I saw the picture of Canadian Olympian Lauren Woolstencroft, who won five gold medals for skiing after lose an arm and both legs.  How do you do that?  What kind of herculean spirit and mind must she have to overcome so much to attain even more.In truth, if we had all thought about it, we would have risen together and acknowledged what has been a remarkable season and what athletes like Woolstencroft have achieved .  But we were too busy being angry, partisan, and just plain distracted.American popular philosopher Bill Moyers observed: “What’s right and good doesn’t come naturally.  You have to stand up and fight for it – as if the cause depends on you, because it does.”If we ever hope to someday inspire Canadians as politicians the way our Olympians have lifted our spirits, we only have to take the small journey from our seats to our feet in moments like this.  It’s not much, but in the end it becomes everything.  An opportunity was missed today.  I thank James for his respectfulness and leadership. And I compliment Martha for literally taking a stand.