Whoa!!! Now, that was a surprise! John Baird's resignation from politics has rocked, not only Ottawa but the whole country, as we head into an election year.
For Harper's opponents this can only be seen as good news. A major Conservative player is gone. Years ago, I could name many of the federal cabinet ministers. Back then, Prime Ministers let their cabinet colleagues speak for their departments. Cabinet ministers were well known characters. However, under Harper, most of the cabinet has remained tightly controlled. There have only been a few who have been granted permission to speak and Baird was one of them.
I have always found John Baird extremely unlikeable. His rude style was nothing like most parliamentarians He has often been referred to as an attack dog, a pit bull. Who would want that reputation? On most news sites there are only the bare bones of his resignation speech in the House of Commons. However, here is how he started off: " I am overwhelmingly optimistic about the future of this country. I am optimistic because over the past nine years I have seen the stature of this country grow in the eyes of the world…In short, the world has seen the best that Canada has to offer."
Excuse me? Many Canadians would beg to disagree. The world has not seen the best of Canada. Canada had a much better reputation in many areas (the environment for one) before Harper and Baird took control. Many people I talk to are extremely saddened by the backward steps Canada has taken under Harper. Baird went to say,"When I joined my good friend Mike Harris" Yikes! Who even mentions that name anymore? He may be the most reviled name in Ontario politics.
Baird's goodbye gift? Well, in ten years time he'll start receiving a tidy little souvenir of his time in Parliament. As the CBC site points out, "By not running in 2015, Baird also qualifies for his pension, under an old rule, at age 55. Parliament increased the qualifying age to 65 years old but that policy only covers those who are elected or re-elected in 2015."
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