Transitions - Broken Streamers

It was over a half-century ago. I was five years-old at the time and I was leaving Scotland with my Mom to join my father in Calgary. She had been a Scottish war bride and Dad had saved up enough funds to bring us all together. Admittedly, I was young and didn't quite understand all that was happening. I hugged my grandparents and my uncle, thinking that I was just going on a boat ride. The Empress of France was a large passenger ship and it was about to set out from Liverpool to Montreal. We climbed on board and immediately moved to the railing overlooking the dock. I spotted my grandmother then, attempting to hold back her tears. It was then that Mom handed me a streamer and told me to hold on to one end and throw the rest down to my grandmother. It was just one of those lucky shots. I watched it arc through the air and land on her shoulder. She grabbed it and smiled back.I was startled by the huge fog horn and a couple of minutes later felt the ship move away from the dock. The streamer between us still sagged and there were hundreds of other like it of different colours. Suddenly it dawned on me that we were separating and that I might never see my Scottish family again. There was wailing and crying down on the dock, as the streamers were symbolically meant to hold the ship in place. The moment came when my streamer grew taught, expanded a little, then snapped. My grandmother never looked so sad. I was disconsolate for the next two days.That story returned to me the day after the election last Monday. My staff from Ottawa had come down and we spent election eve all gathered together in hopes of a win. It wasn't to be, and when the reality set it that we were about to separate it was difficult to bear. The next day both my London and Ottawa staff had a final lunch together before taking the Ottawa contingent to the airport. It was a difficult time. My staff consists mostly of keen young minds who have a strong propensity to idealism and public service. We all acknowledged the pain, hugged, and said our farewells.In reality, most of the work done by a Member of Parliament is accomplished by staff members.They arrange travel, develop policy, design legislation, host visitors, run errands and answer correspondence. Depending on the temperament of the MP, the staff can either become friends or more distant extensions of the MP. Mine were close, very close - like family.Each MP has a certain budget for running two offices and is left with the choice of paying a few well or having many and paying them less. I opted for the latter because I wanted to give as many young people as possible a chance at shaping public policy. Staffers come in early and leave late. They become the eyes and ears of the MP and they mix often with the staffs of other offices. Remarkably fluid in their abilities, they are the true "accomplishers" of much that happens on the Hill or in the constituency. They come and they go depending on their circumstances, but they always bring a spirit of dedication and sacrifice that is equal to the elected representatives themselves.And then it suddenly ends. Consider what is happening in the next few days. Offices are being cleaned out and severance packages are being arranged. Because this past election had a tsunami-like quality, a huge amount of staffers are enduring their last days in politics. Some might be lucky and find work for another MP, but most must now seek employment elsewhere. Offices will be shut down. Files, by fiat, are shredded. The ability to assist so many inquirers with their passports, immigration, employment insurance, visas, pensions, etc. has now ended. Many staffers are deeply disillusioned at present - a stage that hopefully will pass at some point.I was lucky and had a staff that was as fervent about public service as I was. And yet we felt the streamers tightening in these last few days. It's likely they will break soon and we will all be propelled into new stages in our respective lives. But as many have told me, they will never forget the wonderful honeymoon of spirit that lasted for our entire time together. We were a team and we served. They were friends and we loved one another. We were public servants and we assisted thousands.At some point in the future you'll be requiring service of some kind or other from your Parliament. And you'll likely get it, not from the MP but from those who love to assist the public just as much. They are the people machinery of government and they are remarkable.Note: In my last post I mentioned how I failed in my re-election bid due to vote split between Liberals and the NDP. Kevin Weber wrote in to say that this wasn't accurate and that the drop in the Green vote was large enough to make the combined NDP/Green vote only slightly higher than in 2008. After looking at the drop in the Green vote I realized he was correct. My apologies and thanks to Kevin.