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By Lloyd Mackey
 WHILE it obviously lacks the drama -- feigned or otherwise -- of the
Throne Speech and the subsequent prospect of an election, the prime
minister's appointment of an Afghanistan panel hints at much of what goes
on in the current quest for strategically collaborative governance.
Former Liberal deputy prime minister and foreign affairs minister John Manley stood
almost shoulder to shoulder with Stephen Harper last Friday, October 12.
That was when the prime minister introduced him as chair of an
"independent advisory" panel to explore Afghanistan issues. Manley is
expected to report back by the end of January, 2008.
Choosing a Liberal to lead this process can be seen, on the surface, as
one way to put the boots to Stephane Dion, when the latter is already up
to his waist in leadership-challenging alligators.
But there is likely a long term Tory strategy that relates more to
gradually pulling the political centre to the conservative position -- or
vice versa, if you like.
Manley is the sort of person who, given another era and another city than
that of his Ottawa roots, would likely have been a conservative, perhaps
both socially and fiscally.
And, with respect to his faith roots, he stood, in the previous Liberal
cabinet, as one who could reflect a broad range of Christian thinking --
given his pilgrimage in the Anglican, Presbyterian and Associated Gospel
parts of the faith spectrum.
All three, plus his close adherence for many years to the prayer breakfast
movement has given him something of an international understanding of the
way in which the gospel is communicated.
To cut to the chase, those are among the reasons Manley makes a good
advisory panel chair. All three of those branches of Christendom named
above are well conversant with the ways in which the Christian gospel
helps to spearhead social development and the relief of poverty and
oppression in places far from our shores.
* * *
That said, we can touch on two other aspects of the appointment of this
advisory panel.
One relates to Jake
Epp's inclusion on the panel.
And the other involves a seemingly unrelated event the day before the
panel announcement, when international co-operation minister Bev Oda
participated in a technical briefing for reporters, on development aspects
of Canadian operations in Afghanistan.
Let's deal with Oda's activity first, because it represents a recent
attempt by federal international co-operation and foreign affairs people
to balance the oft-mentioned "3 Ds" -- defence, diplomacy and development
-- as they relate to Canadian action in Afghanistan.
One of the major points made by Oda, at the briefing, was the continuing
need for Canadian-supplied security, if only to ensure that
Canadian-contributed food got through to the people who needed it most in
Afghanistan, without being intercepted by the Taliban.
* * *
That briefing, including Oda's participation, helps pave the way for
understanding the significance of Epp's appointment to the Afghanistan
advisory panel.
Most media references have made note of Epp's role as a senior minister in
Brian Mulroney's cabinet in the 1980s. But Harper's particular emphasis,
in his introduction of Epp's appointment was to note that he currently is
chair of the board of Health Partners
International of Canada (HPIC), which is providing medical supplies
and pharmaceuticals to Afghanistan.
HPIC is a Christian faith-based agency, one of whose areas of expertise is
in the co-ordinating of contributions of pharmaceutical firms to areas
where they are needed most, in over 100 countries.
* * *
I talked with Epp shortly after his announced appointment. In so doing, I
was aware both that Manley spoke of having worked closely with him and
that he was a significant factor in having Stephen Harper put in a
well-publicized appearance at the official opening last year of HPIC's
commodious warehouse in Mississauga.
Epp spoke broadly about the complexity of what HPIC does, as well as the
need to involve the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) in
the funding partnerships for what the agency does. And, of course, one of
Bev Oda's responsibilities is for the work of CIDA.
To Epp, what is happening in and as a result of HPIC, is an excellent
example of "faith in the marketplace." And it works itself out, he
suggests, in the need to encourage budgetary consideration by the feds,
the writing of regulations and the care to be "circumspect" in what is
happening.
And he made particular note that finance minister Jim Flaherty has taken a
hands-on approach in understanding what HPIC needs to do on Canada's
behalf in Afghanistan, and where CIDA needs to be involved monetarily.
* * *
Epp also had some good words to say about Manley -- all in a non-partisan
sense, you understand.
He spoke of their involvement together, years ago and across party lines,
in the prayer breakfast movement. And more recently, he noted, after they
both got out of elective politics, they worked together on a committee
that was rationalizing the structuring of the then-troubled Ontario Power
Generation.
He is now chair of OPG, and spends substantial time in Toronto giving
leadership there, while still residing in Calgary.
* * *
That Toronto time, in fact, enables him somewhat in his voluntary role
with HPIC -- and one other activity, as well, that gets occasional mention
in OttawaWatch.
That latter activity is the chancellorship of Tyndale University
College & Seminary. Tyndale recently acquired the 50-acre Sisters of
St. Joseph property on Bayview Avenue in Toronto. In due course, the $50
million project will give the long-established school the foothold it
needs to develop a full-orbed Toronto-based evangelical university.
Epp's role in the development of faith-based action in Canada is, for the
most part, below the surface. But both he and Manley have obvious
continuing roles to play in what the Christian community is about, in this
nation and the other places it influences globally.
* * *
Lloyd Mackey is a member of the Canadian Parliamentary Press Gallery in
Ottawa and author of Stephen Harper: The Case for Collaborative Governance
(ECW Press, 2006). He can be reached at lmackey@canadianchristianity.com.
October 20/2007
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