By Rob Ficiur

Last week Prime Minister Stephen Harper appointed David Braley to the Canadian Senate.  Currently Mr. Braley has the distinction of owning two of the CFL’s eight teams.  In past years Mr. Braley has given / loaned money to other CFL teams who were in dire straights.  It seems like a conflict of interest to own two teams in the same league.  Do you stock up all your best players on one team?
At least in the Canadian Senate Mr. Barley won’t have to worry about a conflict of interest because all our 105 appointed Senators have all been appointed by the Prime Minister of the day without any election or rationale.  Reports have stated that Mr. Braley gave close to $100,000 to help our Mr. Harper in his bid for the leadership of the Conservative party, but we ALL know that these political donations are not why he was chosen for the Senate.
Will there ever come a day when a person of integrity looks at the patronage appointment by the Prime Minister and says “I don’t want that $100,000 a year job until I turn 75?”  I know I only have to show up for work at least twice a year…but out of honor I won’t take the appointment.”   I have never heard of anyone having the integrity to say no to such a job.
On the other hand, you and I could be the next ones appointed to the Senate.  The qualifications are simple.  You have to be 30 years old and own at least $4,000 worth of property.  Rather than complain about the recent appointments maybe we should be glad that any of us could get one of those 105 fancy chairs.
[Son, keep faxing those letters to the Prime Minister’s Office…Yes, the ones that suggest I would be a good Senator].
There are other sports personalities currently serving in the Canadian Senate.  These include:  Nancy Green Raine who won the Gold Medal in the 1968 winter Olympics; Frank Mahovolich who played 1,183 NHL games and Jacques Demers, the two-time NHL coach of the year.
[Son, just sign a different name to each letter you are faxing to the Prime Minister’s office.  Go ahead and sign for your great-great-grandfather I am sure he would think I'll make a good senator.]
One good thing about appointing sports celebrities to the senate is at least most of them have been across the country once or twice so they have an idea of what the citizens they represent need.  They don’t have to worry about being reelected because they have the job until they are 75 unless they do something criminal.
Since our current Prime Minister has appointed three sports personalities to the Senate, it seems like only a matter of time before I (a sports writer) will get that phone call asking me to represent my people in Canada’s House of Sober Second Thought.
If my call to the Senate comes this week, I will try to get out another sports column before I take my new job…but with all the packing and stuff, I might accidently miss the printing deadline…sorry if I do.
As far as that integrity thing I wrote about earlier; if (when) I am chosen for the Senate, I will maintain my integrity.  When I take your tax dollars (no wrong word; use your tax dollars) to do Senator type things I won’t forget the people of rural Alberta for whom I will be elected (no appointed) to represent.