Career change, as it is for many people, is among the top New YearB次元官网网址檚 resolutions for Keith Martin. The former Esquimalt-Juan de Fuca MP decided to step away from politics last May after speaking out against what he calls OttawaB次元官网网址檚 hyper-partisan politics.
B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檓 ultimately looking for a job B次元官网网址� a permanent platform I could work from to address global health, conservation, environmental and policy challenges,B次元官网网址� said Martin, the former physician who spent almost 20 years representing this region in Ottawa. B次元官网网址�(IB次元官网网址檓 looking for) a nimble organization that is interested in using the knowledge that we have and helping to scale that knowledge up B次元官网网址� bridging the knowledge-action gap.B次元官网网址�
Martin has spent the past few months doing just that. His work has focused on partnering people doing ground-breaking research with those who could use the work to bring change. One example was connecting Dr. Hayat Sindi, a medical researcher and inventor of inexpensive cancer diagnostics, with a colleague of MartinB次元官网网址檚 who had recently received a grant to conduct breast cancer research in the Middle East.
B次元官网网址淥ur universities and scientists discover inventions and they publish them, but theyB次元官网网址檙e not necessarily scaled up to be able to benefit the largest number of people,B次元官网网址� Martin said.
From his View Royal home, Martin has also been contributing to aid efforts in the horn of Africa and co-ordinating the delivery of medical supplies to Libyan doctors who had been operating without anesthesia.
Earlier in 2011, he was asked to join the International Union for Conservation Nature, a group that includes 11,000 scientists. Martin created an online mechanism that connects political leaders to scientists in the union.
He also joined PEPFAR, the U.S. PresidentB次元官网网址檚 Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, as well as the Consortium of Universities for Global Health as a way to address issues regarding poverty, the environment, food security and endangered species.
Martin plans to continue his volunteer work while exploring career options.
But he has no regrets about stepping away from the current political climate that he says has stripped MPs of their power to affect change.
B次元官网网址淚t had become such a sad and tragic reality show where MPs were told to read off talking points, written by rabidly partisan 20-year-olds around the leadership of their parties. In times past in parliament, you could develop the partnerships to address the big issues, but now, tragically, in the House of Commons there is no place to do that.B次元官网网址�
Still, Martin describes his time in parliament from 1993 to 2011 as an incredible honour.
His efforts did not go unappreciated. He was named as the most underrated MP on Parliament Hill in 2009 by CBCB次元官网网址檚 political pundit Rex Murphy. And when Martin officially retired in May, his friends in Greater Victoria were quick to sing his praises.
B次元官网网址淗e has done so much for the community, so much for the county,B次元官网网址� said Bob Saunders, a Colwood business owner and MartinB次元官网网址檚 longtime friend who encouraged the one-time emergency room physician to try his hand at politics. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 a big loss to Canada.B次元官网网址�
MartinB次元官网网址檚 friends and colleagues say he always stayed connected to his constituents while working on global issues in Ottawa.
B次元官网网址淭hat gave me the opportunity to connect with people at home in Victoria and other areas, to address issues in the riding, in the country and internationally,B次元官网网址� Martin said.
-with files from Edward Hill
nnorth@saanichnews.com
