ADAM OLSEN: As MLAs are walking through the doors they often murmur, “What is this vote for?” There is only a minor difference between that and, “How are we voting?"
One of the most important aspects of being an elected official is to know what you are voting on. However, there have been times, throughout my decade-long political career, when it was clear that one or more of my colleagues clearly did not do their homework. No doubt our work is complex. It requires an inquisitive mind and you have to be a quick learner. You must be able to gather volumes of information and commit it to memory. You have to be quick on your feet, so you can the parse information that is flying at you and speak to it coherently. And, you have to be quick witted to be able to understand how the information will affect the personalities at the table. All of this hopefully helps advance ideas, and convince your colleagues, in the process of shaping good public policy. None of this is possible if you haven't done your homework. At the local council table an elected official can be carried by their colleagues for a little while. But ...