Higher expectations, John
Well, apparently John Efford was back at a Cabinet meeting in Ottawa today, for the first time since the spring, looking relaxed and tanned. A valiant attempt to show his value to the Cabinet, I must agree. Better yet, though, are his comments on recent media coverage regarding his illness: "I don't know why the press has continually, day after day, wanted to talk about my health. I mean I'm not the only person who has a sickness... I'm not the only person who is sick in Canada." No, John, you're not, but you're also a Cabinet Minister and you're supposed to be helping run the country. So I think it's fair to say that Canada's expectations of you should be a little higher than the insurance agent down the street who has also, unfortunately, been struck with a chronic disease.
There's some good thoughts on this matter as well, over at The Sir Robert Bond Papers. The fact of the matter is that as great and as capable a Cabinet minister as John Efford might have been, he hasn't been living up to his obligations for various reasons, most of which beyond his control. It's time for the PM to appoint someone in his place who can actually do the job with greater energy, and for John Efford to take a seat on the backbenches.
