Sad to say, political rottenness is growing in Canada, too

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When political integrity is lacking, recall should be an an available option
By Gillian Slade (Medicine Hat News Opinion), November 8, 2013

We have a mayor in Toronto who has confessed to smoking crack cocaine, forgiven “himself” rather than asking the people to forgive him, and defiantly carried on working.

In Ottawa, we have a clutch of senators who, while admitting to some unacceptable behaviour, have clung to their positions and benefits as though that is all that matters.

Even after a vote has suspended them for a period they will continue to receive many of the benefits of those jobs including health-care coverage most Canadian don’t have.

Honesty is one of the most important qualities in a leader. It gives an indication of his or her moral fibre, character to do the right thing, going hand in hand with integrity.

Those qualities used to include never taking a bribe, or even raising any suspicion of doing so, and forgoing self-interests even if it means considerable personal sacrifice.

Oprah Winfrey said integrity is doing the right thing even when nobody is going to know whether you did it or not.

“Integrity is telling myself the truth and honesty is telling the truth to other people,” said Spencer Johnson.

Honesty and being honourable means being worthy of respect because the person’s actions are ethical, principled and moral.

The word “honourable” as a title — the Honourable Joe Blow — as in politics, is no longer automatically a reflection of the person at all.

Toronto’s mayor and the embattled senators in Ottawa should raise our suspicions about their very reason for being in these positions.

When the reason for entering politics is the pay cheque, benefits and the status it affords, a whole different agenda dictates how that person will behave. The purpose is no longer service to the public or making a difference. It veers towards the personal benefits for the long term and a “career” rather than a period of time to serve and make a difference.

The only way the public will indeed have a say about who represents them politically is — not just a vote about every four years — they need to have a “right of recall” mechanism to remove politicians from power when they do not have the personal integrity to do so themselves.
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