Recently, Vivienne Bromley sat down with John Weston to talk about the upcoming nomination contest that will determine who will run for MP on behalf of the Conservatives in our riding. Vivienne is Vice President of the riding association for the Conservative Party of Canada for West Vancouver - Sunshine Coast - Sea to Sky Country. John is a former Member of Parliament for the riding, now a consultant in Government Relations and Indigenous Affairs. He has decided not to run in the next election, choosing instead to devote his public service to the creation of a National Health and Fitness Institute.
What are the rewards of serving as MP?
People like the late Jim Flaherty, Canada’s former Minister of Finance, and former US President Barack Obama have framed this really well. I agree with them, that service in elective office can be the richest award imaginable in terms of work life. You get involved in the great issues of your community; you attract lofty-minded people around you; you actually make a difference in the important matters of the day.
There are 338 MPs. Less than 30 of those serve in Cabinet. Practically, what can you really expect to accomplish as an MP?
One thing to note is the distinction between power and influence. It’s easy to confuse a person’s title and perceived power with the ability for her or him to get things done. One thing I learned was that MPs with the courage of their convictions, who walk humbly and surround themselves with competent, principled people, can accomplish amazing things for those they represent.
What were some of the finest relationships you cultivated in your service as MP?
You’ve touched on one of the greatest rewards of politics. To this day, I’m continuing to work on community projects initiated during my term as MP with the fine people I met in that capacity. These are people who were drawn together in large part due to my title but stayed working together because they believed in the things on which we worked, such as “Making Canada the Fittest Nation on Earth” or ending the plague of abandoned vessels.
What was the impact on your family?
I quickly learned, politics is a team sport. The team started with my wife, Donna. If your spouse is not committed with you to serve, you shouldn’t do it. Otherwise, no matter how effective you are in your service, you put your spousal relationship on the line. If children are in the picture, you also have to look closely at their interests. I’m confident that, in the long run, our children will have much richer lives for having had exposure to issues of public policy at the dinner table. They also got to live in West Vancouver and Ottawa, two of the best cities in the world.
Why should someone seek the nomination to run for MP in this riding?
Someone who cares about serving the community who has strong support from family and friends.
For anyone interested in running, what are the distinguishing characteristics of a good MP?
As set out in my book, On! Achieving Excellence in Leadership, the best criterion is that the candidate is driven by altruistic values, such as Integrity, Compassion, or Responsibility. With positive values driving the representative, many of the other issues take care of themselves.
Do you have any thoughts about these issues in the context of the New Year, 2019?
I can’t think of a better time for someone interested in public service to take a close look at running for Federal Office. After all, this is the time when families gather together, examine the past, and build for the future. I encourage any reader with such an interest to get in touch with us. The Party will be opening the nomination contest early in the New Year.
Anyone interested in running for the Conservative nomination is welcome to contact the Riding Association’s Vice President Vivienne Bromley: viviennebromley@outlook.com
