Pausing can help us all get things right

Ottawa is taking extra time to consider important new legislation and that’s good

As I get older, I am finding that I spend a lot more time thinking about and planning for the time when I will no longer be working full-time.

When I was younger, I didn't really give it a lot of thought and just barged ahead with my life and career. Looking back, I would have hit the pause button at least a couple of times and given more consideration as to the potential impacts of my present decisions and whether I needed to adjust my course or take a different road altogether.

I am content where I am now and have learned that none of us are perfect and it is OK to make mistakes. We can't change the past, but we can take what we have learned to help with our present decisions.

We don't always have the same expectations for our political leaders who face criticism regardless of the choices they make.

Recently, our federal government found themselves in situations where they had to hit the pause button on two important, but unrelated, matters. Legislation was introduced to delay the implementation of Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) to those whose only condition is mental illness for a year, in order to give everyone involved time to adequately prepare for this major change. Some advocates for this change to MAID criticized this delay as it extends the time those who are suffering from mental anguish without hope of relief can access this service.

While I can appreciate this viewpoint, I do believe that all who may be involved in implementing such a complex procedure need to be prepared and have all of the necessary safeguards in place.

The second pause came when the decision was made to remove two contentious clauses of Bill C-21 — legislation to ban certain weapons, which critics had said unfairly targeted guns that were used by hunters. In making this decision, the Liberal government admitted that they had made a mistake and did not consult widely enough with all of the groups that would have been impacted by this ban.

This move came as a bit of a surprise as there had been previous indications that they intended to proceed with the legislation without amendments, despite protests from hunting groups and some Opposition members.

While I am in favour of gun control and have concerns about groups who oppose any restrictions on guns, I do recognize the valid use of rifles for hunting, especially in rural parts of Canada and among Indigenous

groups, and feel that any ban should not be so broad that it encompasses those who use them for legitimate and legal purposes.

The politics of hitting the pause button is not quite as clear. While I, as an individual, may recognize the benefits of pausing to try to make the best possible decision before moving forward, in political circles it is seen as a sign of weakness and failure. Opposition leaders are already citing the C-21 pause as an epic Trudeau failure to take guns away from Canadian hunters, while anti-gun groups labelled the decision as caving in to misinformation from gun advocates.

If both sides hold to these rigid positions, it will be difficult to use this pause to clearly define what types of guns have a legitimate use in hunting and which need to be banned for public safety.

The same careful consideration needs to occur before the new MAID changes are implemented and this has already been mandated as necessary by the Supreme Court.

Regardless of how politicians spin any decisions made by our governments, it is up to us to decide what kind of society we want and hold politicians of all stripes responsible for our wishes. I don't expect perfection from myself and neither do I expect it of politicians. If I am wrong, I expect myself to acknowledge this, apologize and work to remedy the situation.

I think it is a virtue if governments can do the same. If all of those elected to office from all parties would take a pause and think first about what would be best for all Canadians and not focus on winning the next election, we would all be better served in whatever legislation is brought forward.