Blue Like You

This editorial by the Edmonton Journal really makes sense to me. Why does a Prime Minister necessarily have to choose Cabinet Ministers according to provincial criteria?

If most of the talent is out West, so be it. Those are the people who should get the plum positions, IMHO.

And as the Journal suggests, Thunder Bay may have a lot more in common with Fort McMurray than Toronto.

It’s time to think out of the box - and out of provincial constrictions.

Now, let’s move on to Senate reform.

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Sunday Update: I caught the rerun of CBC’s ‘At Issue’ this morning. Andrew Coyne seemed to be supporting this point of view - namely that we should start talking more about competence instead of regionalism and gender, when it comes to Cabinet building. Chantel Hebert seems to agree to a point. The relevant segment starts just past the half-way mark.

Tuesday Update : Gee, this sounds familiar… Regions aren’t everything - Globe :

…A better idea would be for Mr. Harper to spend less time preoccupied with geography, and more of it worried about merit. Certainly, he cannot overlook any region entirely. But the reality is that there are more talented Conservative MPs in Alberta and British Columbia than in the rest of the provinces combined. And in a government in which few ministers have distinguished themselves, it is nonsensical to have people such as Diane Ablonczy, James Moore or Jason Kenney biding their time as backbenchers or junior ministers while colleagues from elsewhere are in over their heads…

No, apparently not. This morning’s Record updates us on the latest problems and plans of our self-imposed Canadian heroine.

She still has trouble sleeping, because of all those horrible memories of her ordeal in the Mexican jail. We also learn that her Canadian prison mates were less than charming:

Martin’s notoriety was not lost on some of the inmates at Grand Valley, who made her feel she was "in more danger than in Mexico," she said.

The prison allowed her mother to visit the day after she arrived — a departure from regular policy, Tieleman said.

"You can’t blame them," she said of the animosity toward Martin.

"It’s a difficult situation you’re living in and she came back with this, for lack of a better word, celebrity status. "

More abuse. Poor woman. How will she ever get over it?

Well, the article informs us that she is considering a book or movie to facilitate the emotional catharsis. No doubt that would also help ease her financial situation which must seem like a Liberal leadership candidate’s millstone :

…A fundraiser is being planned for Martin and will likely be held in Kitchener in July, said Graham, the former executive director of the Blues, Brews and Barbeques festival. Money raised will go toward the $100,000 worth of legal fees and expenses Martin still owes. Clearing those debts will be one final way to put the events of the past two years behind her, Martin said. "It belongs to that same stage in my life," she said. "I really want to put that all away."

If Brenda can promise that we’ll never hear about this again, I’ll make a donation myself. But somehow I don’t think that’s going to happen.

…Both Martin and Tieleman expressed an interest in reaching out to other Canadians in foreign jails and pushing reform in consular services.

"The real legacy that has to happen with this is that it never happens to another Canadian," Tieleman said…

You’ve got that much right, Deb. We can’t afford it.

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Totally unrelated : A few technical adjustments going on here behind the scenes today, so Comment Moderation is on. I hope to be able to check comments later on. Thanks for your patience.