Safe Flight

Appearances aside, the vast majority of work done on Parliament Hill is undertaken by the staff of MPs, senators and ministers. The typical aide is young, bilingual, single, intelligent and dedicated to their work. Beneath these main characteristics certain distinctions emerge. Some are committed to their bosses, with many staying in such a situation for years. Others have their eyes set on bigger game and they use their present circumstance (and sometimes their boss) as springboards to something else. There are those that love the legislative work and still others who crave the political machinations of it all. Occasionally there is a bad apple, but Parliament Hill is suffused with bright keen minds who are actually largely responsible for the place's energy and output.Some staff leave under a cloud, others chase greener pastures. There are those who exit the scene out of disillusionment, saddened by a lack of respect from their boss or just the sheer unappreciated workload. It's sad when this happens, but they often pop up in some other office on the Hill, hoping for a better situation in which their talents are appreciated. We politicians can become an endless machine of demands, focused more on ourselves and our influence or electoral chances than on those who are actually responsible for keeping our work running smoothly. Staff in both the Ottawa and constituency office are expected to snap to attention the moment the boss calls, regardless of the other important work they are presently engaged in. Because of this, staffers can often be found flooding local Ottawa bars in the evening sharing their experiences of the day and mutually understanding the challenges and deadlines they incur on numerous occasions. It's a symbiotic relationship, with staff at the bottom, their bosses perched above them, and the respective leaders' offices striding atop the entire configuration. Regardless of the arrangement, almost every staffer I have encountered came to Ottawa because something about public service appealed to their nature, and they have come to the nation's capital to make a difference.This week I lose a staffer that somehow slipped under the radar of the usual Ottawa boss-assistant relationship and ended up becoming a friend, as most of my staff do. Stuart Robinson is the son of well-known Ottawa insiders Mike and ML Robinson, and has one of the most genial natures I've ever come across. He was on a steep learning curve in his initial months, though much of the thrust of Parliament Hill was known to him through his previous employ with a senator. Perhaps his most difficult adjustment revolved around my more non-partisan outlook. A request would come in for me to take a nakedly partisan slam at someone in the opposition and Stuart would dutifully present it to me, only to walk away in confusion and having to phone someone to say his boss refused the assignment. But Stuart eventually got in-sync with how I work and graciously learned that, for me, it is more important how we function in Parliament that what we actually do.Last year, Stuart coughed up his own funds and came to Sudan with me to try to get a bead on why international development means so much to Canada. He roughed it like the rest of us (no problem), but his genial nature endeared him to the Sudanese and they continue to ask about him. That exposure greatly assisted Stuart in coming to terms with a politics that is about serving others as opposed to just feeding the Ottawa machine. He transcended into it naturally and developed a keen instinct for a politics that actually matters to people on the ground. I love him for the way he took that journey so naturally and with a kind of natural grace that his parents possess.Stuart fell in love with a girl from Australia who was away from her home too long. They are heading back there this week to pursue their marvellous life together. I not only will lose the presence of a good friend, but also a fine and upstanding companion on the political journey. He comprehended my instincts early and assisted in turning my office into an open, honest and friendly place - just like him. Where would we politicians be without our staff? I can't fully imagine. But thanks to a fine young man from terrific parents, the Ottawa scene became a little more human and his boss became a little more content. I'll miss you my good friend, and I thank you for what you've done for people in general and not just for me. I already feel the vacuum but I envy the adventure you have just embarked upon. Safe flight, Stuart.