Cliff Graydon: A Case for Mandatory Retirement

My life is so much richer since I have become a social justice warrior.  I have been awaken to so much and have met amazing people who are contributing every day to make our world better. 

In Canada, it is easy to be a social justice warrior.  We are the nation that believes in the social safety net as one of our guiding principles.  There are some that might want to dismantle this net, and there may be tweeks that we don't like, but the social safety net will never cease to exist.  It is too entrenched in the Canadian mosaic.  It is part of the fabric of our nation.  I'm not saying it is perfect, but it is better than may countries.  So, I truly believe that every Canadian, at some level, is a social justice believer.  We believe that we should all have the same opportunities and freedoms. 

And, then there is Cliff Graydon.  I just found out that the Independent MLA for Emerson is seeking re-election in the upcoming provincial election.  He is 72.  Normally, I wouldn't think that a 72 year old should not seek election, but, this is a unique situation.  First of all, he said he would not seek election in the next Manitoba election.  Granted, he thought this was going to be in 2020, but I think he made the remarks to protect his wife and children from further embarrassment. 

Controversy with Graydon started a few years old when he made comments about asylum seekers being a drain on society.  A short time after that, he retweeted some "mean" things about Prime Minister Trudeau.  I understand it is difficult for Grayson to understand what was wrong in that.  After all, the President of the United States tweets far worse, however, in this country personal attacks about character are not done by other elected officials.  We tend to have some decorum.  It was what I was saying before, at some degree, we are all social justice warriors.  So, after those things, the matter was closed when he attended sensitivity training. 

And, then late last year, he allegedly invited two staff members to sit on his lap.  He clarified that it was his knee.  A third woman accused him of inviting her to lick something off his face.  Graydon indicates that he was raised in a different time and those comments were acceptable then and he is only guilty of a bad sense of humour.  When asked if there were more accusers out there, he indicated that it was likely as he been in politics for a while. 

He was most concerned for his wife of 45 years and his children and felt they did nothing to deserve this negative attention and he blamed the media.  Obviously, he does not feel a correlation between his acts and the humiliation of his family.  I agree they are innocent, but, you are not.  They wouldn't be subject to the negative attention if you hadn't brought it into your home, literally. 

He clearly says he is from a different time.  Agreed.  However, there was never a time when this was acceptable.  The only difference is that victims no longer lose their jobs when they come forward.  Regardless, if you feel you are from a different time, that is fine.  You should retire.