I just cannot stop writing about this new government. Cabinet ministers have been busy, making announcements and changing directions. It has put a big smile on this city.
Take the proposed Monument to victims of communism as an example. Last week that story changed dramatically. Now, if you don't live in Ottawa this won't mean much to you, but it has been a big deal here. As you can read in the CBC piece, the monument was the Conservatives' idea. The NCC (National Capital Commission ) originally said they could have a site near the Garden of the Provinces, which is across from the National Library on Wellington Street. However, the Conservatives decided to put it right beside the Supreme Court Building. I won't bore you with all the details but this whole matter is an excellent example of how Harper's government operated. Many organizations, including the City of Ottawa, objected to the size and location of this monument. Those dissenting opinions did not matter. It was another "my way or the highway" move by Harper. If he would have been re-elected, the oversize monument would have been built, wherever he wanted it. The ironic thing is - it is to be a monument to honour those victimized by Communism. The way the Harper government handled the whole thing certainly did not seem very democratic.
Anyhow, this past week, new minister Melanie Joly announced that the monument was being moved back to the Garden of the Provinces. Both the size of the monument and the government's contribution have been scaled back. Across the city you could hear a collective sigh of relief.
A friend of ours works in the Ministry of Health. He told me about the dramatic change of tone there. Civil servants are being asked for their opinions, their ideas, their expertise! Minister Jane Philpott recently conducted an online meeting with 8000 of the department employees, with a question and answer session included! Nothing like that had taken place in the previous ten years.
That's one of the main differences with Trudeau. We are getting to know his cabinet ministers. They are not merely puppets of the Prime Minister. Our local MP, Catherine McKenna seems to be off to a spectacular start with her participation in the Paris Climate Change talks. No longer is Canada the slacker in the environment portfolio.
I 'm not saying Trudeau and his team aren't making any mistakes. However, the general tone of his government is a welcome change. He has surrounded himself with some very talented people. Altogether they are giving many of us that "proud to be a Canadian" feeling again.
Perhaps no file has done this more than the refugee file. When I was in Toronto last month I got off the subway at the Yonge/Bloor interchange, perhaps one of the busiest pedestrian places in Canada. As I changed trains, among that throng of people, the words on the Statue of Liberty ran through my head: "Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses ..." In that moment, as I walked with people of every race and colour, I simply felt that we are all one.
And so it has been heart-warming to listen to Minister John McCallum when he speaks of refugees, when he visits refugee camps. To see Trudeau welcome refugees, to see Governor General David Johnson and his family welcoming refugees - this is the Canada that makes us feel proud. The world is in a sorry mess but in the middle of all that, there are reasons for hope. This government is trying to show us the way forward. Good for them.
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