Dear Editor,
I found this in a 1942 magazine that is now out of print.
It seems to me that it is a perfect fit for our current election campaign boondoggle.
Larry Jordan
Ponoka
Where are Canada's statesmen and stateswomen?
One thing is sure and certain and that is they cannot be found in the ranks of party politics or else if they are there, they have never exhibited the qualifications of statesmanship. And it is certain that if these qualifications were there they would exhibit themselves and up to date there has been no exhibition of these qualifications in evidence.
And so in our quest for statesmanship we must look away from the political parties if we are to find it as we feel sure that it does exist there. Therefore statesmanship is the same as good, efficient business management. And there is good business management in Canada. But such good management could not work either in harness with party politics or under the dictates of politics for it has been tried and failed. But statesmanship must be found and put in charge of the government of Canada if the nation is to progress and prosper and not stagnate and disintegrate.
And so at the present time the Canadian people are stock-taking and looking around to see what we have got in men and women who are capable of giving Canada statesmanlike government; men and women who can and will put the welfare of the people of Canada ahead of party politics and their own selfish interests; men and women who are prepared to put Canada's national welfare ahead of their own personal consideration and give the leadership which the people are looking for and which at the present time is non-existing.
But it is a grand thing to see the Canadian people taking stock for it is a healthy sign of a great national awakening to the fact that Canada was created to serve the Canadian people and not the people to serve political Canada .
There is abundance of everything in Canada to give abundance to every Canadian citizen, in return for their work and all that is required to bring this about is good business administration, or statesmanship, and so to have employment for all to earn their living by so as to have the people progressive and prosperous.
Therefore we must get this latent business ability to the realm of government whose all-time job will be to see that individually and collectively the Canadian people are free from want, unemployment and poverty and no combination of persons no matter what the title they are working under that cannot do this has any right to hold office.
We believe that statesmanship is available to the Canadian people in Canada and if we demand it and accept nothing else, we will find it