Another viewpoint.

• Author: Mildon, Marsha
• Position: Canadian political landscape

At the beginning of November, I was driving through the interior of British Columbia, fairly high in the mountains, overlooking a lake--spectacular landscape of course. There was also quite a spectacular windstorm blowing across the lake. There were huge whitecaps. Then, as we drove by a stand of aspens, there was a blizzard of golden leaves streaming across the highway--also a spectacular scene. As we drove further into a dryer landscape, there was sand, tumbleweed, tree limbs, and finally, whole trees blowing across and onto the highway. That's when we opted for an early motel.

I don't think I'm exaggerating if I say we are looking at a similar kind of landscape and potentially similar weather in Canada's political scenery. Anyone who keeps up with the news or who has ever travelled to countries beyond Canada knows that we have a spectacular political system. What? Dull old Canada, you ask? Yes. In political systems, dull can be a very fine adjective. When I was in Bolivia a few years back, our guide pointed out the Cathedral, the Federal Legislature, and the Presidential Palace, all in one closely built square. Bombs, he told us, were planted--and damaged the buildings--in that square on average once every presidential term. Now that's exciting politics!

No, Canada has a respectably dull political system based soundly and deeply in that dull old principle: the rule of law. And I, for one, am very pleased with that. Our idea of a palace coup is for one Minister of the federal Cabinet to quietly scoop up all the memberships in a party before anyone else starts campaigning, and so to assure himself of a 95% vote at a leadership convention. And so, on December 12, Prime Minister Paul Martin, leader of the Liberal Party of Canada takes charge of the country.

Yes, but that's barely a political ripple, hardly a whitecap or windstorm, you object.

I'm not so sure. Lester Pearson, Prime Minister from 1963-1968, was noted for many things, not least for recruiting to the Liberal Party and bringing to Ottawa the "three wise men" from Quebec: Jean Chretien, first elected in 1963; Gerard Pelletier, first elected in 1965, and Pierre Trudeau, first elected in 1965. Along with John Turner, another Pearson recruit, these men all carried the tradition of Pearsonian Liberalism--a Liberalism, based on equality rights, bilingualism, social justice and the just society, active involvement in foreign affairs, constitutionalism and a high respect for the rule of...