Rex Murphy: “Madame Clarkson is universally acknowledged to have transformed the office during her six years at Rideau Hall and to have left an indelible mark on Canada’s history.”
Now, for example, were a pirate reading this, this is the point at which he would let rip — “Well, shiver me timbers, that’s a bit much” — for even an unschooled marine brigand would lift an eyepatch at so generous a self-assessment. And even beyond the pirate class, mere ordinary citizens would likely call a halt at the same spot, and sadly conclude that Madame Clarkson was reading her career at Rideau Hall with too powerful or kindly a magnifying glass.
Canadians feel, and feel correctly, that there is a certain class of dignitaries, cultural figures and pseudo-celebrities who assign themselves an importance to our public life, who see themselves as “significant” to how the country runs, in a way that is all out of proportion with the actual facts of the case.
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