Over the last year, I have been following my daughter as she makes her foray into the world of political intrigue. Although, there are days when intrigue is probably too strong a word. In the world of Manitoba politics, there are three of five parties that regularly vie for our votes on any given election. Increasingly over the past 5 years, the parties don’t seem to be able to organize a picnic, never mind a full frontal assault on the political status quo.
As politics in Manitoba moves forward, it becomes critical that the members elected to the august legislature have a very pragmatic view of the world. We no longer have the cushion provided by a good economy. Manitoba has been considered a ‘have not’ province for too long. In Canada, that means that we draw money from the federal government because we can’t get our act together enough to ‘want to be’ a have province.
In the real world, which sometimes this seems to exclude politicians, the programs and salaries of government are funded by the taxpayers. The pocket books of the taxpayers are a lot slimmer these days. So, then are the coffers of the government. But, expenditures continue to increase.
Project management techniques and protocols could help immeasurably with the world of government and politics. The golden nugget is “set a goal, develop objectives, estimate the time and costs, schedule the deliverables and track the actual progress to date. Oh and by the way, cancel the initiative if it is draining the public purse. In today’s economy, there is no room for wasted initiatives. ”
To quote one of our Prime Ministers, Wilfrid Laurier, “Let them look to the past, but let them also look to the future; let them look to the land of their ancestors, but let them look also to the land of their children.” The mess we make today, we leave not just for our children but for our grandchildren, great-grandchildren and so far into the future that future generations will wonder if we could add, subtract, multiply and divide.
