Bring back civility and morality to the House before it’s gone

OTTAWA—Workplaces often expect professionalism of their employees, but rarely define what it is. When teams dig into the meaning, they find that "professionalism" means something different to almost everybody. It’s a term and expectation that is based in culture, both one’s own culture and the subculture of the organization. The fastest way to internal conflict is to avoid having this essential discussion: what do we expect in each other's behaviour while we work together? The fact is that "professionalism" just like any other cultural norm in that it changes over time. Picture the 1970s and the male boss—because women were rarely promoted back then—with his feet on his desk. What was considered "professional" in the 1970s wouldn’t meet the mark for "professional" in the 2020s, which is evidence that it is based more in cultural norms than a static construct. But when Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre called Prime Minister Justin Trudeau "wacko" for a policy position in the House last week, it went beyond expectations of professionalism. Poilievre exhibited childish behaviour which doesn’t meet anybody’s expectations for leadership. Trudeau doesn’t get a free pass in this disgraceful incident on the Hill. In his attempts to call out Poilievre for meeting with certain far-right elements that appear to support Diagalon, Trudeau also used some childish words and called him "spineless." Yes, Poilievre needs to be called out for meeting with individuals from the far-right who appear to be working to take down governments in any way possible. And no, this use of the word “take down” is not Indigenous when we devolve decision-making closer to community. Diagalon, in its white supremacy hoodies proclaiming “pure blood,” wants to destroy governments to bring the end times faster to your doorstep. This disgraceful incident should have all federal elected officials hanging their heads in shame. Just how did you let it get to this? How did you allow the tone of debate to devolve into the gutter, so bad that we can’t let our kids watch you work? The results of this hot mess will continue to ripple. The Liberals blew this moment to hell. Canadians need leaders who can call each other in, not lose their heads. We need leaders who can bridge divides, not toss grenades to widen them. The Conservatives appear to be in bed with the far-right in this country, but how will they be held accountable? Conservatives are sounding more and more like the U.S. Congress member Marjorie Taylor Greene, the conspiracy theorist on any given day most likely to say something unhinged from reality and accountability. Getting to the point, are the Conservatives getting closer to white supremacy and hate towards 2SLGBTQ+ people by showing up with this far-right hate group? Prove me wrong. Let’s also talk about the weird response by Conservatives who, instead of an apology, claimed that "wacko" has been said before on the Hill, so there. Just because it was done before doesn’t mean you can continue. That’s questionable logic. Case in point, about 100 years ago, some MPs argued against the immigration of non-white people. We realized the grave error of our ways, and stopped this criminal racism of the past. We have evolved past this criminal racism as a country. The quality of debates on the Hill must evolve and improve, just like anything else we do as humans. House Speaker Greg Fergus attempted to hold the Commons to a higher standard, and yet again was met with child-like resistance. Conservatives walked out, a move very much like my grandchildren when they don’t get their popsicles. Please get back to governing, debating policy positions with professionalism and respect. Bring back civility and morality to the House before you lose it all. It’s not only your careers in question, it is our society. Model something that we can allow our children to see. Rose LeMay is Tlingit from the West Coast, and the CEO of the Indigenous Reconciliation Group. She writes twice a month about Indigenous inclusion and reconciliation. In Tlingit worldview, the stories are the knowledge system, sometimes told through myth and sometimes contradicting the myths told by others. But always with at least some truth. The Hill Times

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Bring back civility and morality to the House before it’s gone

Last week's disgraceful incident in the House should have all federal elected officials hanging their heads in shame. Just how did you let it get to this?

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