When I first heard of it, I thought it was bogus. But then an old Ottawa associate sent along a link to a Peter MacKay leadership ad that showed me speaking in the House of Commons about how he was a hero to one particular family. Why was this suddenly emerging a decade after the event took place? Why would MacKay put out a video of a Liberal MP praising him in an ad that promised he would trounce the Liberals?The video was filmed in that period between 2008 and 2010, when the war in Afghanistan was central to everyone's thinking in Ottawa. Lives were being lost, but gains were also being made. Most important at that time was the resolution that would be required to be passed in Parliament if the mission was to be extended another two years.I was in the shadow cabinet during those crucial days and on two separate occasions I accompanied Defense Minister MacKay to NATO meetings in Europe. He turned out to be gracious and open as he invited me into some of the settings. We spoke frequently concerning the vital partnership between defense (his role) and international development (my responsibility for the Official Opposition). Strides were being made in Afghanistan regarding the construction of schools, the resourcing of Afghan women's groups, and the importance of providing physical security for the various humanitarian efforts.In the midst of all this, I received a phone call from the family of a Canadian air force pilot deployed to Afghanistan, stating that his mother had suddenly passed away but that he couldn't be reached to attend the funeral back in Ontario. Such requests happen every day to MPs, and for those in opposition they must develop a workable rapport with ministers' offices if they are to get action on important issues, and many times they do. Most Canadians never hear about such accomplishments.I sent a message to MacKay during Question Period the next day about the situation and he suggested we meet following the session. I provided him with the pertinent details and he promised to look into it. There were important considerations to be taken in any such situation, but within twenty-four hours the Defense Minister had arranged for the pilot to make his way back to Canada for the funeral.For the family, the result was something they'd hardly believed possible. They thanked me profusely, to which I replied that it was all MacKay's doing. They asked me to send along their deepest appreciation. I mentioned MacKay's effective intervention and later thanked him in the House for helping one of my constituents, and closing with how much the family appreciated his efforts. The file footage of that speech was what appeared in the MacKay promo last week.When I at last saw it, something just didn't feel right. Yes, it was part of the public record and, yes, I had expressed my appreciation in the House. But the entire scenario was all about a grieving family, a valiant pilot, and the need for closure. It was about the best kind of politics, the sort that transcends party divisions for the sake of an average family's needs. Peter MacKay and I talked about it a few weeks later, both sensing that we had done something personal and meaningful in our cooperation, especially considering the divisiveness in the House in those times.Perhaps it was his leadership team that put the video in place last week, but even some Conservatives have expressed discomfort to me at the airing. Was it necessary? And how would the family feel about such an important and painful moment in their lives being used as political fodder in a leadership bid? It is unseemly to some and takes what was once a true highlight of political life and turns it tawdry somehow. This wasn't why we put our differences aside and made collaborative politics work. Why use it now, ten years later and over a circumstance that made politics work for one grieving family?I respected Peter MacKay during my political tenure, despite our differences in view. One of the great highlights of my time of service was moving through the wards of a military hospital just outside of Frankfurt, Germany, that assisted both American and Canadian wounded from Afghanistan and Iraq. MacKay made his way to each soldier, thanking them for their sacrifice, and showing genuine emotion through it all. Every soldier was moved because this was their government recognizing their service through one of its ministers.I endeavoured to reach Peter MacKay on the weekend to ask him, for the sake of the family and the sacredness of that moment, to take the video down. It blurs the lines between politics as it should be and the self-serving motives so common now in political life. Up to him, of course, but if his quest for leadership lacks this kind of respect and understanding at the outset, it could be a rough journey for him.
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