A few weeks ago, I came across a copy of Maclean’s magazine (Dec.3rd, 2007) that reported on the best MP in Canada.  Inspite of the bad reputation of politicians, some MPs did continue to work very hard to earn the constituency’s trust.  Apparently, the magazine recently sponsored for a second year an anonymous survey of MPs, a survey designed by Ipsos Canada. I am delighted to learn that a majority of the winners and the runners-up are deeply and publicly religious.  Guess what, this year’s winner is from Manitoba, the beloved province of Dr. Clement Yeung, and his name is……….Bill Blaikie, who is MP from Winnipeg from 1979, and also a former UC minister.  I do not know how people in Manitoba perceive the contribution of Mr. Blaikie.  Presently, he heads a group of MPs that has set a high standard for public life. His political style, as a NDPer, is inspired by the biblical tradition of challenging the ruling elite.

As we close in to the end of this year, we need to thank God for those who contributed to the public good by offering themselves to the calling of public office.  We pray that God will continue to guide and guard Canada from harm’s and evil’s way.  We pray that His Dominion will continue to reign from sea to sea.  We pray for revival of this great land we call home.  I am glad that some MPs did gather every week to pray, and annually, there is this national prayer breakfast to remind us of the importance of FAITH in public life.

Having said these, who is your favorite MP?  Explain.

Ed from Ottawa, the nation’s capital

I work in a government department. For the past five years, we have been locked in a stalemate with a stakeholders group concerning a key policy issue that matters greatly to both sides. The impasse revolves around basic philosophical differences, so entrenched that the relationship has been frosty and there was no communication for years. A year ago, I suggested that we turn the attention away from the substance of the impasse and instead focus on the approach in framing the policy in question. Although there was not much internal support for the idea, I was able to carry that forward because there was no other viable solution. After much effort to restart the communication, it came down to a make or break meeting at the end of November. It was tense. It was stormy. But in the end, after blowing off steam, the other side decided to withdraw their objections. So I sent an e-mail to our team with the subject line: Out of the Lions’ Den. I said that who would have guessed that after the five years of fury, the impasse would end in a whimper.

For sure there are spiritual lessons to be learned from this experience - how I asked for wisdom, the trust issue, the perseverance, etc. I hate to disappoint you, but I will let you sort that out for yourselves. All I want to draw your attention to is the subject line of my e-mail. Christmas is near. It is more than likely that you will read about the arguments concerning Christmas Tree vs. Holiday Tree, Merry Christmas vs. Happy Holidays, etc. etc. etc. Christians complain about the faction in our society that wants to cleanse the public square of all things religious, and in particular anything Christian. Sure, complain by all means, but what are you going to do other than complain? Can you do anything? How are you going to put back the Christian heritage in a society that is post-Christian?

May I make a suggestion. Instead of going at it head-on, use another approach. Take that subject line of my e-mail. I used an idiom that has its origin in the Bible, the book of Daniel to be exact. There are other examples of idioms from the book of Daniel, such as “the writing’s on the wall”. I don’t know about other western languages, but there are plenty of English idioms that have their source in the Bible. I am an opportunist. I try to use such idioms whenever I can find the opportunity to do so, in my regular everyday business and professional communication and correspondence. Why wait till Christmas to fight this problem. Do it all year round. If there is an English Major out there still looking for a Masters thesis topic, I want to talk with you. And to the rest of you. Merry Christmas.

Bob (in Ottawa)