Fisheries minister’s flop a sad day for the sisterhood
“I did hope, for the sake of our country, that Donald Trump might show some interest in taking the job seriously; that he might come to feel the weight of the office and discover some reverence for the democracy that had been placed in his care. But he never did…. He's shown no interest in putting in the work; no interest in finding common ground…. Donald Trump hasn't grown into the job because he can't. And the consequences of that failure are severe.”
I've been thinking about this quote by Barack Obama all week. I've been thinking, too, of when Justin Trudeau first took office, and in his “mic drop” moment, he told a reporter the reason his cabinet was 50 per cent women was because “it's 2015.” The lefty-liberal woman in me shed a tear.
And yet here we find ourselves, with a federal fisheries minister uninterested in putting in the work, who doesn't take her job seriously, and hasn't grown into the job.
And the consequence of her failure will be severe.
I've fished lobster commercially for 20-plus years. I know about putting in the time and work. I also know that as a woman, you have to prove yourself just that little bit more when in a maledominated business. Elections are not lotteries, with a pension and expense account as the prize. They are job interviews. The voter is your boss. It's a serious job, and if you're so lucky as to be chosen to be a minister, well listen, lady, that's a big deal.
For Bernadette Jordan to tell a parliamentary committee she hasn't read all of the Marshall decision, while she herself is presiding over the most transformative, earth-shaking and potentially explosive changes ever made to this industry is not only infuriating, but as a woman, it's bone-crushingly embarrassing.
I'm embarrassed that in the wake of a move to make government more gender-balanced, a woman would take her appointment to cabinet so lightly. That she wouldn't see that she has a duty to live up to the trust we have placed in her. That she appears to feel no pressure to even so much as keep up — must less excel — in this undertaking.
Doesn't she know that when more conservative elements in our society say, “Promote the person best qualified, not just because of their gender,” those people are waiting for you to fail? Doesn't she know she must work harder to prove she is more than a levelling of statistical representation? Can she be so obtuse?
I've read the Marshall decision, both parts, many times. FYI, Bernadette, that's where the term “moderate livelihood” came from.
Though none of us on either side of this issue was surprised with the minister's admission she hasn't read the decision — a mere 20 pages — we've heard her make statement after statement which contravenes the Marshall decision, and what was set forth by more learned men and women than she or I.
Marshall 2; Section 41 (c): “The Minister's authority extends to other compelling and substantial public objectives which may include economic and regional fairness, and recognition of the historical reliance upon, and participation in, the fishery by non-aboriginal groups. The Minister's regulatory authority is not limited to conservation ....”
Counsel for the appellant Marshall goes on to say: “Likewise, Aboriginal harvesting preferences, together with non-aboriginal regional/community dependencies, may be taken into account in devising regulatory schemes” (Emphasis added).
Emphasis added indeed.
They're saying, Ms. Jordan, you are to act in a responsible way toward all parties in this discussion. Shutting out commercial harvesters, speaking only about the goals of reconciliation and conservation — all of this shows you indeed have not read the Marshall decision, but more worrisomely, you have no interest in following the direction set forth by the highest court in the land.
If you're not up to this job, if you have no interest, and if you can't grow into it, then you must be removed. Simple as that. Show at least a modicum of decency and step down before we all get hurt.