Campaign to make Raj Pannu the next Lt Gov of Alberta

Thinking small Lou, never mind Lieutenant Governor, Raj should be on the national stage, he would make a great Governor General.

For those who don't know Raj.

Did I say 500?  It's over 600 now.

Bagkitty, sure he'd make a great Gov General too.  I wouldn't complain if that happened.  But given Alberta's conservative, red neck image, I think it would be great to have him as our vice-regal.

I'll be the LG.

Just sayin.....

David Climenhaga - Who says the federal Conservatives would never make Raj Pannu Alberta's Lieutenant Governor?

Why would any socialist want to be an L-G?

It's heartwarming to see our socialist leaders being bought off for a palace, some fine apparel, and servants in livery, and ushered into the Old Boys' Club.

But we still want the Senate abolished, right??

I wouldn't have believed this thread if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes.

LG is an almost entirely symbolic position, with little real power.  For the most part, the LG attends a lot of social functions and represents the province.

The last two Alberta LGs were well loved by the population in general.  And I'd like to see that tradition continue.

Is the position necessary? Probably not - but it's going to be appointed anyway - I'd like it to be someone who reflects the diversity of the province's cultural background and political beliefs, rather than a patronage appointment. The facebook group puts a modest amount of pressure on the Conservative governments to think outside the box - that is all.

Will Pannu's appointment change the world? No.

This comment deserves a response:

Unionist, you clearly have no idea who Raj Pannu is, nor the integrity he is famous for. He is not an 'old boy' (although he is not young), has already come out of retirment once to serve the public, and never backed down from taking on the Klein government at any turn.

If you don't accept my opinion of him, I urge you to ask any other Albertan, what they think of him and if they think appointing him LG would be 'buying him off.'

I think I didn't make my point clearly. Everything I've ever heard about Raj Pannu is positive. Why would we want to see him as a ceremonial appendage of Stelmach? Michaelle Jean used to be a decent sort. Now she blesses Harper's attacks on democracy and sports fatigues while singing Kumbaya with the troops in the 'Ghan. And did Ed Schreyer's elevation to the Queen's viceroy give a noticeable boost to the progressive movement in Canada? And what kind of message is this to those NDP supporters who may not be in love with the monarchy?

Anyway, I think it's in bad taste. How about lobbying for him to be appointed to the Senate? There, at least, he can speak his own mind instead of reading speeches penned by Stelmach.

Well that's different, and fair comment.

All I can say is this:

1) For the moment at least, Alberta politics is far different from the national political scene.  The LG post is, shall we say, a little sleepier than the situation Jean finds herself in.  But should he find himself as LG in a minority government - I think Raj's experience in politics will serve him (and Alberta) quite well.

2) Before our current LG, the post was held by Lois Hole, a well known and loved businesswoman with Liberal ties and quite progressive opinions.  She was LG for many of the Klein years and had to read his speeches from the throne. Even within the restricted confines of the LG post, she was able to get her digs in at Klein, (sometimes while reading the speeches) and no one ever accused her of believing the crap she read.  Everybody knows who writes the speeches, and who reads them.  If I read an editorial in the Globe and Mail, it doesn't mean I endorse it.  I know that's a flawed analogy, but I'm just trying to say that I don't believe people assume that an LG or Gov-General accept every word they read.

Lois Hole also used the position as a platform to engage in advocacy for some of her pet causes.  She was a great promoter of education and literacy, which may sound like motherhood issues, but during Klein cutback years schools and libraries were brutally treated.  Her advocacy walked the line pretty close and really annoyed a lot of Tories.

That's my long winded way of saying that the job of LG can be signifigant - but only with the right person in the position.

What's an anarchist-syndicalist like myself commenting on this for ? Well it is a waste of my taxes and of time.