Sunny Ways

Well, Justin Trudeau sure got a sunny day to start off his new government. Here in Ottawa, Wednesday was the most glorious fall day, sunny with a high in the mid-teens. Many would argue that it was a great day for Ottawa and indeed, the country.

Many years ago, on another sunny day (June 30, 1984) we went down to Rideau Hall to be there when John Turner was sworn in as the new Prime Minister. There has never before been a specific public invitation to be there. It is just a known fact that the grounds to Rideau Hall are usually open to the public, so you can line up along the driveway if you want to.

John Turner's first day as PM   June 30, 1984

Jean Chretien emerges from Rideau Hall

It was a more relaxed atmosphere back in '84.

This year however, there was an invitation issued to the public, to be there to watch the PM and cabinet arrive.  And so we set off, to be there when the grounds opened at 9 am. We thought we'd go in by the side gate, rather than the front. We foolishly thought that most of the crowd would enter by the main, front gates. Wrong!

For the first time ever, we went through security to enter the grounds at Government House, so that took a while. Once we were near the main driveway, it was evident we would be about 4 people deep from the edge of the driveway. Was it really worth it to get up early and rush downtown to catch only a glimpse of Trudeau and his cabinet? It was.

 It was simply wonderful to be there on that historic day. RCMP estimated the crowd to be about 3500 people. Parents took their kids out of school, grandparents were there with their grandchildren and teachers were there with their students. The crowd was friendly and enthusiastic.

After the wait, everyone was excited as Trudeau and his team walked past. After the secrecy and speculation of who might have been chosen, it was exciting to catch a glimpse of the ministers, recognize some of them and know that they had made it.

Our new MP, Catherine McKenna

 After they entered Rideau Hall we moved away from the driveway and got as close as we could to the screen where we watched the ceremony. Call me corny but it was fun to be there in that enthusiastic crowd. When Trudeau took his oath there was not just the polite clapping inside the building. Outside, thousands of us clapped and cheered. When has that happened before? That people were so enthusiastic at a swearing-in ceremony of a Prime Minister in this country?

And then we stood some more. Again it demonstrated the interest level among the crowd - that so many people would stand still and so quietly, while each minister was announced. As the names  and then the portfolios were announced, the crowd again broke into applause. There was a lot of cheering when Stephane Dion's name and his title as Foreign Minister was announced. Clearly I was not the only person there who feels this man deserved another shot in the limelight. (see my April 17, 2013 post - Trudeau Revisited, for more thoughts on Dion.)

Dion waves to the crowd on his way into Rideau Hall

The whole experience left me with such a good feeling about the state of democracy in this country. People cared enough to come out and stand and cheer as these ministers were announced. They were not cheering at a sports event. This was the start of a new government. After a decade of not really knowing the members of cabinet, this was such a refreshing change. Over the past days we have been introduced to them and their individual stories. As in past years, once again we are going to become familiar with these people. Trudeau is not going to be calling the shots alone. As he said on Wednesday, "Government by cabinet is back".

As we biked home, along Sussex Drive, my mind drifted way back as we passed The Lester Pearson Building, home to the Foreign Affairs Department. Many, many years ago, I was a student, working at a summer job in that department, which was then known as External Affairs. Somewhere in my Dad's home movie collection is my record of the day that the Queen, alongside Pierre and Margaret Trudeau, officially opened that building. And now his son is Prime Minister! How quickly life flies by.

Of course I realize that this is only the honeymoon period. There will be rough days ahead for this government. However, they really did get off to a very good start.