Asked about the scandal surrounding Toronto Mayor Rob Ford, Calgary鈥檚 popular mayor Naheed Nenshi said he鈥檇 like to remind everyone in public service that they have an 鈥渆normous responsibility鈥� to serve the people who elected them.
In an interview with CTV鈥檚 Power Play, Nenshi was asked whether Ford, who has admitted to smoking crack cocaine and buying illegal drugs while in office, has hurt the title of mayor.
Nenshi said he doesn鈥檛 like to talk about what鈥檚 going on in Toronto.
But he said his 鈥渧ery visceral reaction is this: I have been given an opportunity, a hugely humbling and hugely exhilarating opportunity to really make a change in people鈥檚 lives.鈥�
He said he became acutely aware of his responsibilities and duties during the devastating Calgary floods in June.
鈥淎nd as we learned this summer, it鈥檚 not too much to say that for brief, fleeting periods, I literally hold life and death decisions for 1.2 million people in my hands. And as I say it鈥檚 humbling and exhilarating but it鈥檚 also an enormous responsibility, and it鈥檚 a responsibility that I and I think most politicians take incredibly seriously every minute of every hour of every day,鈥� he said.
鈥淎nd I think that I would reach out to all of my colleagues in public service and remind them that this responsibility鈥檚 important and that we need to make sure that we, as individuals, are willing to shoulder that burden and make sure that we get the help we need and that we are there in order to serve the people who put us there.鈥�
