This is the question Steve Paikin explores in The Life: The Seductive Call of Politics. The TV Ontario reporter spent over two years interviewing politicians from Canada’s four major political parties, both currently serving and retired. Bill Davis, the Tory Premier who ran Ontario’s “Big Blue Machine” for over 20 years, is included here. So is Lewis McKenzie, the popular retired General whose political career lasted mere months, as he tried and failed to win a seat in the 1997 federal election. All told, Paikin persuaded nearly one-hundred current and ex-politicians to share their experiences of “the Life.”
So what makes them do it? Paikin found people enter politics for a number of reasons. For some, such as Canadian Alliance member Jason Kenney, politics has been a passion since childhood – the burning question was which party to join. For others, like fellow Alliance member Deborah Grey, politics was something they almost fell into by accident later in life. (Interestingly, more women than men seem to fit into this category). But whether they grew up wanting to be Prime Minister, or took out their first party membership in mid-life, there is no doubt that the ability to wield power is one of the continuing attractions of political life. Even a MP who spends his political career toiling away in the backbenches, or stuck in Opposition, still wields considerable clout in his local constituency. The lure of political power is such an important factor that Paikin devotes the entire last chapter of the book to it.
Readers lacking at least a rudimentary knowledge of Canadian politics may find the book hard to follow – Paikin’s focus is on the actors on the Canadian political scene, not the underlying political landscape on which they play out their roles. But for political junkies, particularly anyone who has ever thought of running for office, the book offers a fascinating insight into what motivates individuals to embrace political life.
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