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Too often these days, too many of our elected officials at the provincial and national level lose their way.
They run for political office for all the right reasons - represent their constituents, hold government accountable, bring meaningful change – but then the power and the title changes them. They’d rather give speeches, cut ribbons, kiss up to the leader and the people that agree to them while kicking down at the constituents with the gall to disagree with them.
Not so much for Todd Doherty, the Member of Parliament for Cariboo-Prince George.
Since being elected in 2015 but without a day spent with the governing party, Doherty has had two private members bills approved into law by the House of Commons and the Senate. To do it once is the Canadian federal political equivalent of throwing a no-hitter in baseball – it’s rare, it’s difficult to accomplish and it takes incredible dedication and a fair bit of luck. To make it happen twice is something special.
In 2018, Doherty saw his bill for federal support for first responders suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder approved with support from all three major political parties. In late 2020, his bill to create a national 988 suicide prevent hotline was approved in the House of Commons. That bill then got mired in the details for more than a year-and-a-half before the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission finally approved it this week.
Unfortunately, it still won’t be a reality until the end of next year due to some technical hurdles but at least there’s a launch date now. By comparison, the U.S. unveiled its national suicide prevention hotline last month.
What makes Doherty’s work on these two bills extraordinary is how he made them reality. It wasn’t by shouting at the Justin Trudeau Liberals, demanding action. It was by approaching individual MPs, in his own party, as well as the Liberals and the NDP, and garnering support one parliamentarian at a time. It was by mobilizing the support of families affected by suicide and PTSD, along with mental health advocates across the country. Those things only happen by building trust and earning respect.
In other words, it took putting partisan politics aside and leaning into some old-fashioned hard work, patience and persistence, not to score cheap points with voters but to make a real difference to all Canadians. The PTSD support for first responders and the suicide prevention hotline will save lives.
Sure, Doherty can play the partisan game and sling mud around, just like his fellow MPs, regardless of their party, and he has publicly supported the revolving cast of characters leading the Conservative Party of Canada. Yet, once he’s taken care of his party duties, he has immersed himself in real work and he has real results to show for it.
Every elected official says they work for all of their constituents, not just the ones who voted for them, but Doherty’s actions show there’s plenty of walk behind the talk.
