Beyond The Commons

Beyond The Commons

Aaron Wherry covers all the goings-on in and around Parliament Hill. Follow Aaron on Twitter: @aaronwherry

The meaning of honour

by Aaron Wherry on Thursday, March 10, 2011 11:26am - 25 Comments

Glen Pearson considers what it is to be honourable.

All of us as MPs, ministers, or even prime ministers, are called upon to be honourable. It’s a more important trait than being smart, gifted or even eloquent because it is the “honourable” aspect of our representative task that makes the flourishing of ideas and compromise possible – it keeps us accountable. It is behaving, not as though the cameras are filming, but as though your children were in the gallery, wanting to be as proud of you as they possibly could. It would mean acting as though your parents, your God, your family and your friends, and your peers opposite, were all watching you, desiring that you show the kind of grace they believe you to possess. But even more importantly, it would mean you were honouring the good folks that put you in such a lofty place.

Bruce Anderson considers recent events from a political perspective.

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  • SanDiegoDave

    Why can't Pearson and Michael Chong quit their respective caucuses and go and sit together as independents or as an informal alliance of the Rational and Decent?

    They could face off against their obfuscating and blowhard polar opposites like Volpe, Poilievre, Goodale, Flaherty, Clement (the captain!), Baird, and Mulcair (the co-captain).

    Who else would join the Rational and Decent? Dryden? Van Loan?

    • John D

      I once met Yvon Godin and he seemed like an eminently respectable fellow. I bet there are a lot of honorable BQ members too, if they could get over that whole separatist thing.

      • pulex

        That would be getting dangerously close to a Coalition of the Rational and Decent

        • Mike T.

          Hey, losers don't get to make the government.

      • CAPS

        Serge Ménard would be one from the Bloc but he's retiring. I would also throw in M. Dion as a Man of Honour. Women? Meagan Leslie and perhaps Niki Ashton.

      • BC Blue

        Honour for Pearson is selective. Pearson was one of that group meeting to overthrow Iggy in favour of Rae.

        Rae was "the only one the party trusts."

    • TimesArrow

      There a good number of rational and decent pols there, perhaps even the majority. It's what the strait-jacket of a system does to them that's objectional. Many of us might be chastened at how quickly we'd pick up the cudgels of hyper partisanship once they strapped us into the party strait-jacket. That said, they do have a choice. You almost never hear from Dryden, as i heard[read] he has decided not to participate in the daily mudslinging anymore – sadly one wonders what good that achieves, other than identifying oneself as a man/woman of principle. Perhaps your suggestion is a good one. A reading of the early life of Churchill offers some inspiration; he crossed the floor or was forced to sit out a number of times, and at considerable cost to his reputation in the house.

      • SanDiegoDave

        Point well taken. Thanks.

    • Mike T.

      Teh point is well taken but I think Goodale is a decent sort.

    • WDM

      5 from each party – left out the BQ, as I don't know their MPs as well.

      Bob Rae
      Stephane Dion
      Glenn Pearson
      Keith Martin
      Ken Dryden
      Chris Warkentin
      Mike Lake
      Michael Chong
      Ted Menzies
      Andrew Scheer
      Bill Siksay
      Joe Comartin
      Peter Stoffer
      Yvon Godin
      Paul Dewar

      • auntie-em-m

        Ted Menzies? Ick…just another party parrot from what I've seen of him .

      • Jan

        Sorry – thumbs down on Lake and Warkentin – they are Harper handmaidens.

      • Matlock.

        Since there are zero women on that list, and zero BQ, I nominate Meille Faille as well.

  • OriginalEmily1

    Honour is nice, but brains are better.

    Some of the worst tyrants in history thought of themselves as honourable men. So did those who followed them.

  • BC Blue

    lol great…thanks for pointing out how even less honourable he is for supporting someone who was trying to take him out

    • OriginalEmily1

      You are as confused as the rest of your party.

      • MostlyCivil

        Do we really need to bring up David Orchard again?

        • Halo_Override

          Always! I'll give up David Orchard when you can pry Adscam out of the CPC's cold, dead hands.

          • Mike T.

            Wait, Harper Adscam or the earlier one?

            (See what I did there?)

  • madeyoulook

    Pearson writes as if the process is over. It has just started. This is the moment where the OPPOSITION MPs will want to be most careful at upholding "honour."

    Pearson himself has dangerously adopted the wrong style: Ha! Nailed the dishonourable buggers! Despite their taunts and a compliant media, too! I would urge him to heed his own words about respecting Parliament and Canadians by getting himself and his fellow opposition MPs to stay on the high road here. It's the right thing to do, it will make the government MPs' probable silliness all the more contrasting, and he will still likely get "victory" given the minority House situation.

    Everyone already knows what the verdicts will be. It is in everyone's interests that you do your best to make this (look like) a fair trial.

  • john g

    I for one welcome our new Klingon overlords.

  • OriginalEmily1

    Exactly. Thank you for putting it so well.

  • SanDiegoDave

    That

    Is

    Funny!

  • http://intensedebate.com/people/Ottawa_Centrist Ottawa_Centrist

    tlhIngan maH!

  • Mike T.

    While high-minded conduct is always a virtue, I would hate to think Harper would be able to get away with this heinous behaviour simply because the other side were overzealous!

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