Thank God I live in Canada! Right now, I'm truly grateful for the intelligent leadership our government is providing. Say what you will about Justin Trudeau but I appreciate his daily briefings, followed by the press conference with his ministers. Over the past few weeks we have become better acquainted with some of the top players in his cabinet, along with the medical officers of health in all the provinces. I'm grateful that Trudeau and his team are acknowledging and following the advice of Canada's top doctors and scientists.
We even have cooperation between provincial premiers and the federal team - something that would have been unheard of, just a couple of months ago. Yesterday in the National Post, there was an article about how Ontario's Premier, Doug Ford, has risen to the occasion. Click here, Ford Draws Praise from Friends and Foes.
It was Thursday, March the 12th, when Ford changed his tune. In the morning, Ford appeared at a press conference, telling Ontario families, " Go away, have a good time, enjoy yourselves."
Only a few hours later his government announced the drastic step of extending March break for two extra weeks. Finally, the reality of the situation had sunk in, as Ford and his team listened to the advice of scientists and public health officials. Over the past couple of weeks we've seen a new Ford, as described in The National Post:
"Gone is the pugnacious partisanship and populist rhetoric that opponents once used to compare Ford to U.S. president Donald Trump. The premier's regular briefings have instead drawn widespread plaudits for their calm collegial tone, as well as their comparatively progressive content."
When I look at the "leadership" on display in the U.S. and the disjointed efforts by various states, I feel even more grateful that our politicians here in Canada have managed to put aside their political differences and work together for our common good. At today's news conference, goodwill was on display again, as Quebec's premier thanked Doug Ford and Trudeau and his team.
Recently I read Michelle Obama's book, Becoming. I really enjoyed her observations on President Obama's role. Unfortunately, it is all in very sharp contrast to the current administration.
"Nighttime was when Barrack's mind travelled without distraction. It was during these quiet hours that he could find perspective, inhale new information, adding data points to the vast mental map he carried around. Ushers often came to the Treaty Room a few times over the course of an evening to deliver more folders, containing more papers generated by staffers who were working late in the offices downstairs....Most nights of the week he stayed at his desk until 1:00 or 2:00 in the morning reading memos, rewriting speeches and responding to email....I was used to it now - his devotion to the never-finished task of governing. For years, the girls and I had shared Barrack with his constituents and now there were more than 300 million of them. Leaving him alone in the Treaty Room at night, I wondered sometimes if they had any sense of how lucky they were."
"When you're married to the president you come to understand quickly that the world brims with chaos, that disasters unfurl without notice. Forces seen and unseen stand ready to tear into whatever calm you might feel....His job, it seemed was to take the chaos and metabolize it somehow into calm leadership, everyday of the week, every week of the year.....How Barrack and I comported ourselves in the face of instability mattered.We understood that we represented the nation and were obligated to step forward and be present when there was a tragedy, or hardship or confusion. Part of our role, as we understood it, was to model reason, compassion and consistency."
In these regular morning appearances, Trudeau is doing just that. He is modelling reason, compassion and consistency. Thank you Prime Minister.
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