What We Owe To Our Politicians

Kathleen Wynne has not been in the Legislature of Ontario since her stunning defeat in June.  She maintained her seat even though the Liberals lost official party status.  It was the worst showing of Liberals in Ontario history.  Some have suggested that she needs time to heal.  She needs a break from politics and she will return after a period of time.  Some have suggested that since she has served as Premier for so long that we owe her this period of grace.  We owe her?! I realize that I am not a resident of Ontario, so this is completely moot for me, but the residents of Ontario don't owe her anything.  Nobody put a gun to her head and made her run for politics.  She did so, on her accord, knowing that in politics, all possibilities exist.  Regardless if she is Premier or not, she still owes the constituents in her riding.  They elected her to represent their interests.  The people who elected her are her boss.  They did not elect her to take significant time off to lick her wounds.  If she feels she needs significant time away or that she no longer wants to participate in the system, she should do the right thing and resign. 

Some suggest we do owe our politicians something.  We owe them to thoughtfully look over the candidates and to exercise our vote.  We don't owe that to our politicians.  We owe that to the next generation.  

We don't owe our politicians anything.  They were the ones who chose to run to represent our interests.  Yes, their jobs are difficult and the hours are long and they have little privacy.  Those are the negative aspects of the job.  If they feel they can not fulfill this, then they simply do not have to run to represent us.  They also get significant time off.  They also get the opportunity to serve and shape policy.  They have the opportunity to make decisions that can impact us for years.  Like any job, their's come with perks and burdens.  There are some people who feel a calling to public service.  This is admirable, but, again, no one is forcing anyone to run for election.  It is a personal choice.  Most elections are contested so there is always someone who would give anything to serve their public.  

We have a situation in Winnipeg with one of our incumbent city Councilors.  He has been charged with a serious crime.  Of course, he is innocent until proven guilty.  He has indicated that he is innocent and will fight the charges with vigor.  One can assume that this will take all of his time and energy and he will be, at best, distracted from his position as Councilor.  It is not fair to the people who are counting on him to represent him.  They did nothing wrong.  They should not lose their voice.  

The same person attended a 79 day treatment program for addiction earlier this year.  That is almost three months that he was away and no one was speaking for his residents.  All of these places have a waiting list.  He probably was focused on treatment for atleast 6 months prior to this.  The trouble with being away for a significant period of time and having no one take your place is that people start wondering if you are even needed.  Perhaps we need less city councilors.  Of course, we have compassion for someone living with a disease and seeking treatment as this can happen to anyone in all walks of life, however, when you are a public servant, your first obligation is to your public.  If you can not fill your responsibilities, you should resign.  

We don't owe our politicians anything.  They owe us.