Statement made on 02 February 2012 by Senator James Cowan
Hon. James S. Cowan (Leader of the Opposition):
Honourable senators, I would like to add my voice to that of Senator LeBreton in paying tribute to our friend, Senator Meighen, for his lifetime of service to this country and to say how much we will miss him here.
In Canada we do not have many family dynasties in politics, certainly not ones that trace their roots back more than a century. Senator Meighen is one of those rare exceptions, coming from one of Canada's great political families. His grandfather, of course, was the Right Honourable Sir Arthur Meighen, first elected to the other place in 1908, subsequently serving twice as Canada's Prime Minister and who sat in this chamber for more than 10 years. He was the only person, as Michael said a moment ago, ever to have served as Leader of the Government and Leader of the Opposition in both houses.
Prime Minister's Meighen's legacy is well known; the creation of the Canadian National Railway, his prominent role in ending the Winnipeg General Strike of 1919 and the list goes on.
However Sir Arthur Meighen left another legacy for Canadians: the values of public service, political involvement, and fundamental rock solid respect for others that he instilled in his family, and which we have been privileged to witness in his grandson, our colleague, Senator Michael Meighen.
Senator Meighen has been a leader in his community, in his profession and his political party, supporting our great cultural institutions — he and his wife Kelly have been extraordinary benefactors of the Stratford Festival — to serving some of our institutions of higher education. He served on the Board of Governors of his alma mater McGill University and is Chancellor to the University of King's College in my own home town of Halifax. Supporting community organizations in Atlantic Canada and throughout the rest of the country, Senator Meighen has never stopped working, quite simply, to make Canada a better place. I thought an article which appeared in the McGill Reporter a few years ago captured Senator Meighen quite accurately. The journalist wrote:
. . . after just a few minutes with Meighen it becomes evidence his is more than just the practiced warmth of a seasoned politician — Meighen likes people, pure and simple. Intelligent, forthright, self-deprecating and quick to laugh, Meighen quickly turns the 30-minute formal interview into a casual conversation.
She described his passion for and commitment to McGill adding:
And it is a passion.
I think all of us here can attest to that, and that his compassion and commitment has not been limited to McGill. Senator Meighen has worked tirelessly as a highly respected chair, deputy chair and member of a number of our standing committees, notably the Standing Senate Committee on Banking, Trade and Commerce, Standing Senate Committee on National Security and Defence, and that committee's Subcommittee on Veterans Affairs.
Until just a few years ago, Senator Meighen served as counsel to the well known law firm of Ogilvy Renault — formerly Meighen Demers — and applied his legal skills directly to public service and his legal counsel to the groundbreaking Deschênes Commission on war criminals in the 1980s.
Senator Meighen has also been active in conservation efforts. He helped create the Meighen-Molson Professorship in Atlantic Salmon Research, which led to the establishment of the acclaimed Canadian Rivers Institute at the University of New Brunswick. He serves as Canadian Chair of the Board of Directors of the Atlantic Salmon Federation, whose work he spoke about in this chamber the other day.
I must tell you, honourable senators, that as a Liberal I took great comfort in his speech. I could not help feeling some affinity for the endangered wild Atlantic salmon he spoke about. However, I was greatly encouraged by the optimism about their future — that, as a result of hard work and education, the wild salmon are being returned to their historic greatness in this country.
In Senator Meighen's words, the salmon "like other iconic animals or natural wonders that have come to represent Canada's distinctiveness, history and heritage" — again, colleagues, I feel a certain resonance in his words — are beginning to enjoy a resurgence. He pointed out that governments can play a vital role in achieving conservation.
Honourable senators, I must tell you that as Liberals we too are finding that the actions and inactions of this government are playing a vital role, and we appreciate the work that the government is doing in establishing the conditions that will lead to our own resurgence.
I know Senator Meighen understands the dedication of those of us on this side to a strong Liberal Party of Canada. He understands that because an essential part of his public service has been his dedication to his political party.
Corry and Hodgetts, in their classic text on democratic government and politics, wrote that "There is ample reason for suspecting that political parties are somehow essential to the working of democratic government." I agree with that, and I would go further and say that the best and healthiest democratic governments owe their well-being to the involvement and commitment of people like Senator Meighen.
Honourable senators, it is easy when times are good to find people to assume positions of leadership in a political party. It is not so easy when times are tough. Senator Meighen was there for his party through some very difficult times — as a candidate, as a party president and, of course, here in the Senate.
Despite, or perhaps because of, that deep commitment to his chosen party, Senator Meighen has always understood the equally deep commitment of those across the aisle and has forged true friendships that cross political boundaries. That, again, may perhaps be traced back to his legacy from his grandfather. Last November, Senator Meighen wrote an op-ed for the National Post, dedicated in honour of the memory of Sir Wilfrid Laurier. He wrote:
Some might ask why I, a life-long and very proud Conservative, would encourage Canadians to take time out this week to honour Laurier, who, after all, was Canada's greatest Liberal prime minister. In this, I take my lead from my grandfather Arthur Meighen, an opponent of Laurier's who sat across from him in Parliament for more than a decade.
At the time of Sir Wilfrid's death in 1919, my grandfather, a member of Sir Robert Borden's cabinet, took my aunt Lillian, then only nine-years-old, with him when he paid his respects to Lady Laurier.
"You're too young to understand," he said to her, "but I want you to be able to say that you saw one of the finest men I have ever known."
Honourable senators, I believe that kind of respect between political adversaries expressed by both the Right Honourable Arthur Meighen in 1919 and by Senator Michael Meighen a few months ago represents the best of Canadian politics. I am convinced that respect has contributed to making Canada the great nation that it is today, and it must be part of our collective DNA if we are to achieve our true potential as a nation.
Senator Meighen, I do not know how many Canadians take the time to think about the qualities that a good Canadian senator should possess — probably not many — but I believe that if they did they would come up with a list that is remarkably summed up in you. Dedication to your community, to your party and to your country — these are the qualities for which you have the admiration of us all.
It has been an honour to serve in this chamber with you. My best wishes to you and to Kelly, and to the members of your family, for the next stage of your life together.
Hon. Senators: Hear, hear!