When ‘A’ first decided to ‘throw his hat in the ring’, I was a little worried. Not worried about the politics…but worried that he would be swallowed up. He is too honest to be a politician…well that is the general consensus of course…that it (politics) is not an honest profession. But onward he forged…to declare….to successfully win the nomination within his party of choice (and it is ALL about choice). Now we wait, and he works day in….and day out…moving on to step 2 … to win the election in the fall. He is ‘in it to win it’ ...otherwise it would be a waste of his time.
‘A’ doesn’t know the meaning of dishonesty; or the meaning of misleading; or the meaning of lying (lying is something Pinocchio does). What he does live by are values distilled in him like a fine wine…passed on by his Mother and Father - both of whom he worships to this day. They were ‘party faithfuls’ of another political party…but if both were alive today, they would have an open mind and an utmost respect for HIS decision to join a party that is failing badly in this country right now. ‘A’ was never one to step down from a challenge though…his does not always follow the ‘popular’ vote. Instead, he insists that it is not about the ‘party’ in power…it’s about how you represent the people. His passion was/is always people. Like his father before him, he has collected an eclectic assortment of friends and buddies. They know him…and they trust him….and they voted for him. We had many chuckles after so-called staunch tories signed up to be members on record of the Liberal party…so they could nominate him.
There was some discussion in the media (comment section) how someone with his background could ever possibly win a nomination. The results speak for themselves. His ability to know people, to read people, and to stand toe-to-toe with the most disgruntled was honed and fine-tuned over the 36 years as a peace officer. Dignitaries of both political stripes would ask for him personally when they visited the cities we lived in…to be their driver and body guard while in town. He didn’t just ‘drive’ the cars; he understood when they (his precious cargo) were getting tired and would take them to secluded beaches so they would not have the press hounding them; to take their long walks and breathe deeply of the fresh ocean air; or to take them out on the water allowing the sea to work its magic on their fatigue. This…they remember.
It was all about the people….not the job….not the situations…not the politics of the day.
Pierre Elliot Trudeau was Prime Minister when ‘A’ was a young recruit in downtown Toronto in the mid 1970’s. ‘A’s’ job was to secure/guard a washroom in the facility where P.E.Trudeau was visiting. “A’ was all of 19 years old. Imagine the surprise of the prime minister…when he entered to use the facilities…to see this young (serious) mountie dressed in plain clothes carrying a side arm (.38 snub nose revolver) standing in the washroom! Surprised or not, the prime minister in his typical charismatic manner, shook ‘A’s’ hand and proceeded to find out who he was, where he was from, all the while surely frustrating his body guards outside the door. It was duties such as this that ‘A’ accepted, without hesitation, while other rank and file avoided because it may have been deemed as being ‘beneath’ them to accept such a humble assignment. While other young men of similar age across the country were enjoying their youth, whether in college or university, ‘A’ was on the streets of Toronto busting drug pushers/dealers and drug labs. It is ironic that while he was performing these acts, attempting to make our country safer for young people (and later his own children); he was not of legal age to consume alcohol or visit a bar. He holds no regrets about decisions he made earlier in his life, quite the contrary. He would do it all again.
So here he is again, in a ‘not so popular’ job, still walking to the beat of his own drum. Politics is a thankless job. A politician is constantly fighting the battle of “you are dammed if you do, and dammed if you don’t”. ‘A’ ignored the pettiness that surrounded his previous profession, and this one will be no different. He doesn’t focus on the win or lose mentality. Regardless of the outcome, he has already won. He has won and enjoyed the friendships of many… and many a story he will have when all is said and done. Similar to policing, in politics he is finding out in a hurry who his real friends are. There have been no surprises so far, and he is okay with that. Living in the moment day after day, he firmly believes the fall election will look after itself. Until then, he will continue to enjoy the ride…every step of the way.
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