As a youngster I was in awe of the men who were in political power.
Those politicians ranked up there, just below the Royal Family of my childhood: Queen Elizabeth, Prince Philip, Prince Charles and Princess Anne.
When the news came on the radio, we listened in silence so we could hear what the prime minister, premier and our own MLAs and MPs had to say about the events of the day. With only the daily newspaper from Moose Jaw and some weekly news magazines coming into our house, it was difficult to put names to faces. That changed somewhat when television came into the home and I became enthralled with what these men had to say.
Clarification: in those growing up days, there were few women in political positions so my only point of reference from then is to chat about the men in public office. I knew there were some women on Moose Jaw City Council but certainly none to my young knowledge on our town or rural councils.
In school I had a particular affinity for John Diefenbaker and his brother, Elmer. I was also excited to meet Ross Thatcher, Hazen Argue and Martin Pederson. Of course everyone knew of and mostly admired Tommy Douglas.
Political party affiliation obviously had no meaning to me although I did hear the parents having some concerning conversations as election dates approached. It wasn’t until I grew older that I became aware that there was political diversity in our small town home.
As a newspaper journalist I was given many opportunities to meet Moose Jaw and area politicians as they spread their political messages throughout the community and district. Of course I literally had to look up to Gordon Snyder as I shook his hand upon introduction. He was tall in person and tall also through his positions in provincial government. His side-kick, Bill Davies was shorter of stature but no less impressive on my not-yet-disillusioned mindset regarding political figures.
I was particularly impressed when those gentlemen remembered my name on subsequent meetings and news conferences. And they answered the questions asked of them without waiting to have an answer prepared for them by a party handler. Imagine that! And they were usually only a phone call away. Imagine that too!
Some of the other names that come to mind from my dealings with them locally in subsequent years, in no particular order, include Doug Neil, Bill Gottselig, Dick Proctor, Dr. Don MacDonald, Bud Smith, Keith Parker, Rod Laporte, Grant Devine, Lorne Calvert, Glenn Hagel, Warren Michelson and Greg Lawrence. And let’s not forget Lynda Haverstock and Deb Higgins who both had to work harder to circumvent the very real challenges of gender bias. They persevered and created their own legacies.
Of the politicians mentioned, I don’t recall any of them being overly interested in photo opportunities or political pensions. Service was front and centre. Unfortunately, times have changed but there are still some who aren’t counting the years until they qualify for taxpayer-funded retirements.
One such politician who has had service on his mind has been Dr. Ryan Meili, leader of the provincial NDP, who has resigned as leader, paving the way for a leadership convention in June. Meili, like most of the names previously mentioned, worked hard in his roles as MLA and party leader. His motivation was to provide improved conditions for the people of Saskatchewan.
In the past two years he was a reasonable and knowledgeable voice pleading for care and attention to the devastating realities of ignoring the pandemic. He renewed his medical licence and worked in vaccination clinics and tried to provide medical expertise and knowledge to others in charge of the decisions. He was mostly ignored for political expediency.
While he wasn’t a flamboyant politician, Meili did his best for his party and for all residents throughout the province, regardless of their political persuasion. It is unknown at this time who the candidates will be for the leader’s position but whoever is elected should take a page from Meili’s playbook: service before self.
Other politicians would also be wise to take note.
Joyce Walter can be reached at ronjoy@sasktel.net
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the position of this publication.
