Seven months after she resigned from Brian Pallister’s cabinet, considered a significant factor in his decision to resign as leader of the provincial PCs, Eileen Clarke has been reappointed as Minister of Municipal Relations by Premier Heather Stefanson. The time off, says Clarke, gave her the opportunity to reflect on her journey so far and consider carefully what she wants to do next.

Clarke was initially appointed as Minister of Indigenous and Municipal Relations by Pallister, a role that was subsequently narrowed to Minister of Indigenous and Northern Affairs. She admits that she was relieved at the time, because she had been elected to provincial government following a period as Mayor of Gladstone, and the appointment had put her in a position of making difficult decisions that were affecting people who were friends from her time in municipal government. With the distance of a few years, she says she feels much more comfortable and confident in the role this time around.

One of the main topics of discussion, however, wasn’t just her role in government but her use of social media to express herself and her hopes and desires for her community, her province, and even her world. Clarke has always used her Facebook to deliver messages to her friends and constituents, often much more personal than any official communication. It’s only since her resignation that she's found the media checking her Facebook, so she's become more cautious about her words.

Respect, she says, and specifically respect for persons in authority is something she’s really seen in decline these days, not just in political discourse but in a general sense.

"We've got a municipal election this fall,” says Clarke. “Are people really going to run for political position under the circumstances that they're experiencing and seeing, where political leaders of all levels are being abused daily? We need governance. Governance is a way of life, and people have to make decisions. We've got to portray a different way, and I haven't given up hope on that."

If there’s one big message that’s being delivered by Clarke these days, it’s hope. She hasn’t given up hope that we can come together and work things out, and she believes that nobody else should give up hope either.