Ever Met A Prince?

While the political and journalistic worlds will be over-examining the tea leaves left over from yesterday's by-elections, the results themselves don't show any defining trends. The Conservative win in Dauphin-Swan River-Marquette was predicted, but Julian Fantino's slim margin of victory in Vaughan wasn't. The Liberal breakthrough in Winnipeg North was an upset. Taken altogether, nothing has really shifted. But it won't matter, as all the spin doctors and pundits will seek to inflate the results beyond the rational.All three of the victors will make their way into Parliament soon enough and they will face the shock of hyper-partisanship and eventual disillusionment. However, after watching so many aspects of Parliament become unworkable, it's been a delight to witness someone who cuts against the trend.Dean Allison is a Conservative and one of the good guys. As chair of the Foreign Affairs and International Development Committee, of which I'm a part, he has had to hold together a number of strong personalities from different parties who could just as easily be in battle with one another. Differences among the members are readily apparent, which makes Dean's influence all the more profound.I can't say I'm partial to him because he was brought up in my city of London, Ontario, because I didn't know that until just a couple of weeks ago. His parents still live there. He went to school there and then graduated from Wilfrid Laurier University with a degree in Economics. After moving to the Niagara region, he served his community as President of the West Lincoln Memorial Hospital Foundation, as President of the Lincoln Chamber of Commerce, a Director of the Ontario Trillium Foundation, and board member of Junior Achievement in Niagara.Dean developed a keen interest in politics and chose to run against a strong Liberal candidate in 2004 and triumphed, winning again in 2006 and 2008. He loves kids, has three of his own, and is also a founding member of the Dave Thomas Adoption Foundation in Canada and the Belarus’ Children of Chernobyl program that brings children affected by the Chernobyl disaster to Canada. This love of children is a very large part of who he is and what he does.Now, as the MP from Niagara West - Glanbrook, he has been tasked with trying to find compromise among some seasoned voices, like Bob Rae (Liberals), Parliamentary Secretary for Foreign Affairs and CIDA Deepak Obhrai (Conservatives), Johanne Deschamp (Bloc), and Paul Dewar (NDP). These are bright people and argue with passion and insight, so keeping them working towards compromise solutions can be a bit of a challenge. This, Jim accomplishes, not through argument or force, but from a sense of fairness and a very amenable nature. I remember being asked once what I thought the key was to being an effective parliamentarian in such a partisan place as Ottawa and answering: "a good and congenial personality." That's exactly what Dean has and he uses it with effect.When I asked him recently what his hope was for the committee, he responded: "I want it to work together as an effective unit that can make suggestions to the government on how we can make a serious difference in the world." Lately, Dean has taken a keen interest in micro-financing, even though he admits he has much to learn in the area. But that's just the thing about him - he's not full of hot air or self-serving ideas. He has reached out to me for a better understanding of micro-financing even though he's been around a lot longer. This is just the kind of committee chair you want, and not someone who thinks they know it all or seek to bring advantage for their own political party. And in a reciprocal way, I have reached out to him for understanding of the committee system and how it can become effective in Parliament. Thankfully, he detects my own aspirations for the world and makes room for my quiet interventions.This is Dean Allison, a prince among chairpersons and an uplifting example of who good people can accomplish if they just generally like people and seek to help them coming forward with meaningful solutions. He's a credit to the House of Commons, his party, and his own commitment to a better world. He stands as the antithesis of the hyper-partisanship that characterizes politics at the moment, having shown a more effective way through understanding and compromise. Put simply: I feel a sense of hope and inclusion whenever I see his smiling face at committee.