Beyond The Commons

 Beyond The Commons

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

Categories: Beyond The Commons, Capital Read

Parting words

by Aaron Wherry on Friday, March 25, 2011 10:56am - 10 Comments

After Question Period yesterday, members who will not be seeking reelection were allowed a few moments to say goodbye to the House of Commons. Eleven MPs rose and spoke of service and politicians turned into human beings before our very eyes. This from Bill Siksay.

My predecessor, Svend Robinson, once remarked that the highest duty of a member of Parliament was love. Love should be our daily agenda, a daring, justice-seeking and tender love. Some day, even here, we will find that path where all that we do we do for love.

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  • bergkamp

    That is unbelievably twee.

    All that we do we do for love? Please, please, please, don't come anywhere near me with your 'justice seeking and tender love', I prefer just plain old good governance.

    I wish more people would remember Reagan's maxim – The nine most terrifying words in the English language are, 'I'm from the government and I'm here to help.'

    • FVerhoeven

      Hear, hear! Well said. This discussion topic should be avoided. It's silly and condescending in all ways!

    • ZestyMordant

      I don't think people have forgotten the quote. It's just that most people don't find those words particularly terrifying.

    • http://dredtory.blogspot.com/ Sir_Francis

      The nine most terrifying words in the English language are, 'I'm from the government and I'm here to help.'

      Not terribly fond of police officers, are you? Not big on Armed Forces personnel either, I suspect. "Support The Troops" indeed.

  • Mike R

    All you need is love. And a nice diamond ring.

    • alfanerd

      nice one. why isnt Svend in jail anyhow?

  • FVerhoeven

    If Obama, for the past 15 years, had been living in Canada and Britain, would the voters of United States still have put him in the White House?

    How deep does your love go?

    :)

  • OriginalEmily1

    Albina Guarnieri, “When I arrived here in 1988, I found an inspiring place where partisan rancour might boil in this chamber, but the collegial spirit filled the halls.”
    She likened the jobs of government and opposition members to the Looney Tunes cartoon characters of Ralph the wolf and Sam the sheepdog who go at it during working hours and acknowledge the end of a workday with civility.

  • FVerhoeven

    Francien Verhoeven: "When I arrived here in 1979, I found a place of ample opportunity for all and hordes of potentials yet to be unleashed. Now I find myself trying to defend a unified Canada as envisioned by our forefathers; a Canada composed of a federal government, not beholden to any one province in particular, and a Canada made up of 10 equal provinces and some territories to treasure besides. "

    May my wish come true for finding a strong Canadian federation!

  • Blue

    Since this was meant to be an opportunity for the departing MP`s to say their good-byes, I do not understand why the Speaker did not provide an opportunity to Mark Holland and Ruby Dhalla and Ujjal Dosanjh to make their farewell speeches.
    ……..ok…..I`m only kidding…..go easy on me.

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