When I was young, I only lived for the present because that’s what children do. As I became a young man, it was the future that dominated my thoughts – how to make a better world, where would I journey, would I make my parents proud. But now, as I bow out of political life and my brief tenure as a Member of Parliament, by sentimental happenstance I recalled today the pact I made with my God on the day I was brought into the House. It wasn’t typically religious, nor would it have probably made sense to some, but it was as sincere as anything I ever uttered in my life: “God, there is so much power here. Help me to never bring disgrace in this special place.” That was it – simple, hardly profound, but powerful in its intent.

As I have reached my 61st year and attempted to honour that commitment to God and Parliament, I now realize I have a past tense. In a strange and surprising way I have discovered self-respect. I have spent so much time in my life attempting to instill it in others that I had given little thought of it for myself. But it was when I walked into the House of Commons on that very first day of service that I realized I was dwarfed by the sheer history and grandeur of that place, of what I was about to undertake. This is what people say when they claim that they are humbled by great things. In an instant I comprehended that if I failed here, as I had at other places in my life, then I will have committed a grievous wrong, not just against God but against the good people of Canada.

And so that place elevated me, made me stronger, confirmed my ideals, and in the end it graciously provided me a legacy – a past that I could look back upon and realize any faithfulness to that original pact wasn’t due to much of anything in me but to the sheer grandeur of this country as it found itself represented on the banks of Ottawa River, in Parliament.

To have the power by which we can make this world and our country a more decent place is about as sacred as it gets. To believe in God is a sacred thing, but unless it carries itself in a manner of honour, honesty, deference, humility, fidelity and friendship it means nothing. I hadn’t been in Parliament very long before I learned that this is a rule that doesn’t apply. Good, caring and decent people had taken to gouging, maiming, verbally assaulting, and in the process demeaning the very essence of patriotism we attempt to pass along to our children and which we received from the sacrifices of our own parents. To have power without such things is to have a debasing kind of strength. It’s not about God, or service, or good policy, but dominance.

“What kills a skunk is the publicity it gives itself,” said Abraham Lincoln and the last two sessions of Parliament confirmed it. We stunk, and Canada and the world knew it. We likely had 60-70% of things in common. We all wanted to end child poverty, be good in the world, provide our children a better place, but instead of finding accommodation, we fought over 100% of everything. Canadians watched it all in mild tremor. Surely we could find compromise they thought, but dominance became the operative condition. In the place of an honourable man who was falsely accused of “only visiting” we now have an MP that was elected without ever setting foot in the riding. We didn’t really understand what we were voting for because we never did understand Parliament itself. Nor, ironically, did parliamentarians. The foul aroma of our partisanship filtered to every part of the country. We all shared in it and now we are all judged by it.

Great religion of every stripe has maintained that anything that is good must never be desecrated. We forgot that in our battles. Canada can never endure as a tolerant land if we tolerate that. Consecration or desecration of the public good lies in the hand of every parliamentarian. Like me, every MP will leave that place with a past tense. If they behaved in such a manner that would embarrass their children or undermine the prayerful hopes of their parents, then their past will haunt their remaining days. They were privileged – blessed – enough to actually serve in a place of great reverence and somehow they messed up. Or they can change it. They can reverse the course in this next parliament and for the sake of the Canadian people they can be dignified by the very House they now divide and which cannot stand.

For those entering the 42nd Parliament, make this different, make it count. Put aside the rank partisanship and seek a third option, a way of not only compromise but reconciliation. Don’t say that politics demands indignities because your families, your constituents, your country and perhaps your God demand better. Be servants with a past tense, people who can say as you exit, “I was a respectful Member of Parliament. I worked across the aisle. I found commonalities whenever I could. I behaved as though the House was like a place of faith and I kept my pact.” You have a past – use it for the betterment of our people and our world.