Former Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada David Lametti, left, and former Minister of Public Safety Marco Mendicino were among the ministers dropped in last week’s cabinet shuffle. John Milloy discusses how political life can be thankless.
A former Conservative cabinet minister shared an observation with me about cabinet shuffles. Having once experienced a humiliating demotion, he noted that the phone always rang when you were on the way up but was silent on the way down — the time you most needed support.
Former Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada David Lametti, left, and former Minister of Public Safety Marco Mendicino were among the ministers dropped in last week’s cabinet shuffle. John Milloy discusses how political life can be thankless.
A former Conservative cabinet minister shared an observation with me about cabinet shuffles. Having once experienced a humiliating demotion, he noted that the phone always rang when you were on the way up but was silent on the way down — the time you most needed support.
I thought of his words during last week’s federal cabinet shuffle and the minimal attention given the seven ministers dropped.
Sure, there were a few nice things said about some of the four ministers retiring from politics. However, in terms of the three dropped, the exit of Treasury Board President Mona Fortier was largely ignored while the past sins of Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino were catalogued to explain his demotion. There was some head scratching over Justice Minister David Lametti’s departure, but journalists were quick to point to his past errors.
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Beyond that, the seven were basically forgotten.
Maybe it’s time we offered them a few words of appreciation.
Politics is an extremely difficult profession, particularly for cabinet ministers. The hours are long, and the pace is exhausting. And then there is the travel, often to the farthest reaches of our country, which can take a huge toll.
I have never met a cabinet minister whose personal life hasn’t suffered due to their job. The strain on marriages and family life due to frequent absences and being continuously on call is a harsh reality.
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Yes, ministers get to make important decisions. But the choices they face are rarely easy. There is never enough money. Finding a middle ground among a range of diverse opinions is not always possible and the press and public rarely appreciate the complexities of the files you are handling.
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Then there is the Prime Minister’s Office. Trying to keep the overall government on course, they pressure you to make decisions you might not like and in the interests of cabinet solidarity, force you to support policies you may disagree with.
And the reward for all this?
Day in and day out you face a public cynical and hostile towards politics and politicians. You get to read media reports criticizing your decisions and telling you that as a mere minister you are irrelevant in a structure dominated by the Prime Minister and his staff. And is it even necessary to mention the vitriol of social media, including the frequent personal attacks?
So, let’s thank those seven individuals who served as ministers. Let’s acknowledge their personal sacrifices and their successes in terms of policies and programs as well as those decisions that may have prevented future problems — ones that we may never fully appreciate.
Yes, some of the seven made mistakes but there is no evidence that any of them operated in anything but good faith. We on the outside will never fully understand the reasons why they made bad decisions and may have chosen the same course had we been in their shoes.
I realize that some might find it trite for ex-politician to thank other politicians. But we have a problem in this country. We claim we want good people to put their name on the ballot but we mock those who do and shout good riddance when they leave.
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Maybe it’s time we realize that making elected life increasingly less and less attractive does nothing to deal with the challenges facing our country.
John Milloy, a former Liberal MPP and cabinet minister, is the director of the Centre for Public Ethics at Martin Luther University College.
