Editor's note: the Rev. Donald J Lawton is a retired priest of the Anglican Church of Canada and a recent resident to Squamish.
Like many people in the U.S., here in Canada, and in many parts of the world, I have been horrified by some of the statements and actions that have been directed towards migrants and aliens, some of whom have lived in the U.S. for years and others who have recently been apprehended attempting to enter illegally. But a bigger concern for me is the growing attitude in the U.S. administration that truth is a flexible and negotiable quality and can be bent and manipulated to meet the needs of the moment.
A joke comes to mind: How can you tell when a politician is lying? His lips are moving.
I have met political office holders and aspirants who have been sincerely interested in doing the best for their community, province, and country and have been men and women of integrity and honour.
These people have been connected with the full range of political persuasions. In fact, in one community I lived in, I was invited to political meetings of the three main parties as if I were a card-carrying member of each of them.
I am not sure how I achieved that level of acceptance and respect.
One of the realities of democracy is that most of our elected representatives have to deal with a magnitude of topics and questions that they probably never had thought about and had not included in their election statements or manifestos. Even the most seasoned political campaigner meets situations, circumstances or events beyond his/her experienced conceptualization. I know that in my career, as I have moved from position to position, I have come across challenging situations that I would not have expected to be part of a ministry. These have required preparation and research to deal with.
How can we expect the holder of a political office to have considered a formulated position on every conceivable subject that the mandate will present to him or her? Can we reasonably expect each candidate to present us, the electorate, with a detailed outline for dealing with every potential situation?
I have fulfilled my responsibility to vote in national, provincial, territorial, and municipal elections since 1970 and have taken the responsibility seriously. There have been times when bold flashy candidates have eclipsed all of the others on the slate. There have also been times when the political machine of one party or another has dominated the public scene or a particular constituency. There have been times when I have wondered who to vote for as voting day approached. When I lived in Northern Quebec, I once voted for the Parti Québécois candidate because he was the only one, of the three, who showed any integrity.
How do we choose who will represent us in council, the legislative assembly or parliament? Some people vote loyally by party, sometimes because their family has always voted that way; and for a while, when I was involved in a constituency association, that party, with its candidate, was assured of my support.
What I look for now as I choose who will receive my vote is not so much the political party, not the flashy manifesto with the most memorable catchphrase, not what he or she promises to give to my town or region in the way of benefits. What I look for is evidence of character. I want someone who has demonstrated honour, service, responsibility, and duty in his or her life to date. And because I am going to trust this person with my vote and mandate, I expect this person to have shown evidence of being trustworthy and having values I can respect.
About five years ago, in a speech to a parade of newly promoted generals and admirals, Governor General Julie Payette, said: "Trust comes in on foot and leaves in a Ferrari." What she was talking about is how easily and quickly hard-earned trust and respect can be lost. I am sure that many of our American neighbours have felt the wind of the departing Ferrari as their trust and respect for their political leadership and system has diminished or disappeared. How can we prevent this from happening here in our country, province, and community?
