Yes Judy Manning it IS personal!

It is very personal for Pat and Kim Dunphy. 

Empathy is a word that Judy Manning uses frequently. It rolls off the unelected Minister's tongue as easy as the words Good Morning.

Well the morning is anything but good for the people Ms. Manning left behind to catapult from relative public obscurity to a high-powered seat in the Paul Davis government.

I have received permission this morning to relate what happened to Pat Dunphy last night. Mr. Dunphy is the gentleman you may recall featured on a CBC story last week. Press HERE to see the story.

I was in contact with Pat and his wife Kim this morning after learning that Pat took a fall last night. In their words "he was on his way to bed, I (Kim) was already gone to bed. He (Pat) had to get out of wheelchair because house is not accessible. He was dragging himself to the room walking holding onto the walls and he collapsed onto the rail of his bed bounced and hit the wall and landed on the floor."

"I (Kim) could hear something crunch I had to lift him (Pat) from the floor to the bed and undress him for bed he went into a seizure after the fall... His spinal cord is over 50% cut - he can walk but the neurosurgeon does not advise it".

Pat went on to tell me that,  "...he (Pat) had a lamininectomy so he has no bones to protect the outside of his spinal cord - so if he hits that area he will die".

Pat and Kim describe his initial injuries this way:  "initial cervical spine injury, quadriplegia, disc protrusion, 50%compromise of spinal cord, cervical myelopathy,progressive myelopathy,

spinal stenosis"

Further they say, "he has had surgeries anterior cervical disectomy and fusion and spinal decompression,laminectomy and fusion". 

So this couple went through another horrific night and morning - something that has happened many times in the 20 years since his workplace injury. 

Ms. Manning did not complete this review as a Commissioner of the WHSCRD - as she left to take her place at the Davis Cabinet table. 

Empathy Ms. Manning? Really Ms. Manning? While you and your colleague Tony Cornect - Minister responsible for the WHSC - were looking for votes in CBS - Pat was still waiting. These are people who needed your decision to move forward. 

Ms. Manning must understand that she had responsibilities - and that these were life-altering responsibilities. The Minister should not have walked away from that until those duties were fulfilled.

If the unelected Minister does not consider this an abrogation of responsibilities - then I fail to see how Manning can assure the people she will not do the same as Attorney General or Minister of Justice. 

Election day is today in CBS - we should remember what Cornect and Manning were doing while Pat and Kim Dunphy suffered through another day. 

Manning - face and eyes into new job...

The unelected Minister - Judy Manning - is face and eyes into her new portfolio. See!

Out on the campaign trail drumming up votes for somebody else as she sits on her unelected throne.

Churning up the activity - on family violence court, WHSCC reviews, and generally preparing new legislation.

Seen here leafing through the voluminous material and briefing notes with her Cabinet colleague?

Pounding the pavement for justice and getting up to speed on her appointed Ministry?

Posing again above with Departmental literature? Enjoying a stroll while explaining to the good people of CBS why they should elect a PC MHA.

Why they must ask? Why not appoint somebody from the district right on into Cabinet and then hold a by-election. Hardly seems fair that Placentia - St. Mary's has 2 representatives. One donated by the Premier - the other elected but not in the mood to sit in Cabinet.

I suppose this could be be on-the-job political training.

Maybe Ms. Manning should have done as her uncle Fabs did. Run - don't get elected and get reappointed. Win - Win

The people of CBS must be at least a little annoyed that this person is being shoved in their faces in the middle of a democratic process.

Manning Sound Bites 2 - Listening

The first installment of Manning Sound Bites deals with the Minister's propensity to blame others or avoid answering at all - questions regarding background, experience, and suitability for the job.

Today we will deal with - listening.

As Paul Davis touts that his administration will listen to the people - one would expect Ms. Manning to be a good listener.

This sound bite and the others I will write about all come from Ms. Manning's interview with David Cochrane (On Point). Listen HERE 

Cochrane: You mentioned just a few minutes ago that you're contemplating legislative changes as part of the public safety Agenda. I guess I'm curious - how do you plan to advance that public safety agenda where you're not elected because legislative changes are legislation which has to be done in the House of Assembly. So you can't table legislation - you can't champion it and you can't debate it in the House. How do you make this work from outside the legislature.

Manning: Well I'd just like to correct you a little - on one point there. I'm certainly sitting at the Cabinet table and I'm certainly able to champion legislative changes at the Cabinet table.

The first thing Manning does is correct Cochrane on something that he was not incorrect on. Cochrane was surely referring to all the things she could not do in the House and asked her specifically what she could do outside the House. Sitting at a Cabinet table is not in the House of Assembly and Cochrane's reference was certainly championing inside the House. You should also note the continued condescending tone Ms. Manning uses with Cochrane with phrases - such as "I'd just like to correct you a little". The Minister comes across as patting a little child on the head and helping to correct the mistakes they might make.

The Minister continued...

Manning: You're absolutely right I will not be sitting in the House until such time as I'm elected and I'm looking forward to having that happen as soon as possible.

Right after applying a little correction she points out on the matter of her not sitting in the House - that Cochrane is absolutely right. Wow - she gave Cochrane that one - imagine he was right that she would not be sitting in the House. It was a perfect display of patting the child on the head and encouraging them for at least getting half of his statement right.

Secondly of course is the false and misleading statement that she's looking forward to getting elected as soon as possible. Clearly Ms. Manning has chosen to avoid that opportunity - and very publicly so. The Minister is NOT listening to the people and neither is Premier Davis. It is abundantly clear the people want her to seek election now - in one of the by-elections. That will not happen.

On the continued claim that Minister Manning is under unusual scrutiny - well yes if you compare it to an elected MHA moving into a Ministerial portfolio. The people of the province usually provide a honeymoon period - wherein they mostly overlook flubs - however - this individual received an extraordinary appointment. When the Premier reached outside the body elect and plucked this person out of thin air - there is no honeymoon - as the extraordinary talents and experience she must possess for such an extraordinary appointment would mean she's hit the ground running right?

To date Minister Manning is not demonstrating a real talent for listening - instead the message seems to be - look at me - I am polished - listen to me - I am well-spoken - and by all means understand that I empathize with anybody beneath my station. Arrogance and unjustified superiority? Ms. Manning comes across as feeling entitled - and as such why should she have to justify anything?

Ms. Manning does not seem to understand the basic premise of her position. She is there to serve the people not to address her subjects from a respectable distance.