Wednesday Night #1592

POLITICS, POLITICS, POLITICS – The RNC wrap-up along with Mr. Ryan’s veracity factor; the Quebec elections (a number of veracity factors); and the DNC (is it true that Betty White will be the senior contrast with Clint Eastwood?) before which the media is raising a number of difficult questions for Mr. Obama (President Obama’s new media headwinds).

A week is a lifetime in politics – but these ten days seem longer than a lifetime. There has been – and will be – so much written and said about these political events that we will only touch on them briefly. But before we do, we recommend the back-to-school letter to Congress proposed by Mohamed A. El-Erian; in our opinion, it should be adapted for the guidance of  all Quebec and Canadian members of provincial and federal legislatures.

With respect to Quebec: As we write this on Monday, threehundredeight gives a  Final Quebec Projection: Parti Québécois victory tomorrow night but too close to call whether plurality or majority.
Our friend Pascal Zamprelli offers an Eeyore view of the choices Quebec 2012: The Road to Mediocrity and concludes that it may be best to vote for a candidate who has established her/himself as a good representative of the riding. We are fortunate to have such a candidate in our riding.

Yvette Biondi shared her son Frédéric Laurin’s thorough analysis: Élections 2012 et développement économique — Comparaison et évaluation des programmes économiques des 5 principaux partis politiques.

Kudos to Beryl for his unflagging efforts to rationally present  and eloquently defend the views and interests of ‘les autres’ – not only Anglo and Allo, but the many Quebecois who share their stand on  a range of issues such as the economy and education.

And to Alan Hustak for stimulating some outrageous debate on Facebook.

Many others have written and spoken wisely and well throughout the election period (see a small selection here); others neither so well nor so wisely.

Whatever the outcome, most opine that it is time for some fresh faces possessed of serious qualifications and leadership abilities — and that leads us to this Wednesday’s two guests. We are delighted to welcome Matthew Thomas and Harvey Lam, respectively Executive Director and Deputy Executive Director of the Tri-Sector Forum, a leadership development institute based on recognition that the world’s most pressing and complex issues increasingly require collaboration between the business, government, and non-profit sectors to create sustainable outcomes. Thus, a new type of leadership is needed – leaders with a mindset, set of experiences and network across the three sectors.
Matthew and Harvey are in Montreal to meet with several prospects for Tri-Sector leaders from the Quebec community and will join us for a timely discussion of their objective to advance tri-sector leadership among decision-makers and society.  We do note a heavy dose of McKinsey-type wording in Tri-Sectors’ official communications, but count on your participation, the warmth and interest of a Wednesday Night setting to allow them to set aside any thoughts that might be reduced to a PPT presentation. Our first question to them would be why there is no explicit mention of international experience, which we believe to be essential in an increasingly globalized world.

With all our focus on North American politics this week, we are setting aside for future discussion numerous troublesome issues around the world – Syria, Mali, Water and food scarcity, and of course our favorite topic to stimulate reaction, energy and the environment including the tar sands, pipelines and the exploitation of the Arctic. John Richardson’s lengthy report for Esquire on Keystone, has provoked intense – and instructive – debate among a group of Wednesday Nighters, which we will soon be posting.

We look forward to welcoming you on Wednesday Night and would ask that you please confirm that you will be with us as we have a feeling that the topics and new guests will engender much interest. Meantime, we are pleased to offer this Reminder: For your calendar, September 24: André Gagnon In Music and In Dance Fundraiser by the Quebec Chapter on behalf of the Canadian Celiac Association