Hon. James McCrae (Government House Leader): Would you kindly call the condolence motions beginning with Mr. Hamilton?
Hon. Harry Enns (Minister of Agriculture): Madam Speaker, I move, seconded by the Minister of Government Services (Mr. Pitura), now the member for Morris,
THAT this House convey to the family of the late William Homer Hamilton, who served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba, its sincere sympathy in their bereavement and its appreciation of his devotion to duty and a useful life of active community and public service, and that Madam Speaker be requested to forward a copy of this resolution to the family.
Motion presented.
Mr. Enns: Madam Speaker, I am privileged to be able to address this resolution of sympathy to the Hamilton family on this occasion, particularly from the point of view that it was my privilege to have served in this Chamber with Homer, as we called him. I have very fond memories of Mr. Hamilton during his service in this Chamber with the Roblin government and two years of the Weir government.
He was first elected in the early '60s and was a forceful member in this Chamber for the area that he represented, the particular seat then was, as they all keep changing from time to time, but his place of birth and his home was Sperling. I can remember Homer's particular interest in pursuing agricultural issues that were important then and continue to be important today.
Drainage was something that was always very close to Mr. Hamilton's concerns, as he expressed them here in the Legislature. I was pleased to join the Roblin team in the mid-'60s as a very young and green Minister of Agriculture. Homer Hamilton was physically a very full and robust gentleman. He let it be known then, when he had concerns in his constituency, that ministers ought to pay attention to them.
Mr. Hamilton left the provincial scene as a result of redistribution that occurred in 1969 and then proceeded to provide ongoing assistance to his member of Parliament, Mr. Jack Murta as a counsel and as help to Mr. Murta who had recently been elected to the federal House as a member for that region.
I know that the efforts on behalf of the community that Mr. Hamilton represented were appreciated then, and are remembered in this resolution. Thank you, Madam Speaker.
Mr. Gary Doer (Leader of the Opposition): Madam Speaker, I want to add our words to the contributions in life of William Hamilton and our words to the condolence motion to the family. I want to thank the Minister of Agriculture (Mr. Enns) for his comments. I did not know Mr. Hamilton, but certainly one gets the measure of the person beyond his life description from the words from the member for Lakeside on William Homer Hamilton. Obviously, he is a person who has contributed greatly to the province of Manitoba and has had a deep interest in agriculture and 20 years as a trustee of the Dufferin Agricultural Drainage Board prior to his election in 1959 to the Duff Roblin team. He certainly has had a life of public contribution.
He is a person who looks to have enjoyed the wonderful resources of Manitoba--fishing, hunting, his hobbies with guns, his days of being in the woods with friends. According to one record of his life, apparently he was a great teller of tales, and he would regale others with tales of the Great Depression. Some of us remember those same kind of tales from our own family and growing up with people who have gone through the Depression.
He liked to talk about political life and took pride in public life. He obviously had the right ingredients: dedication to the people and humour, which of course I think is crucial to really keeping in perspective one's responsibilities to your constituents and the things you believe, but also the ability not to take oneself too seriously when the occasion demands it.
I want to pass on to his wife, Helen, and his children, our deep respect for the contributions he has made to this province, our thanks for the contributions he has made to the people, and our condolences on his passing this year.
Madam Speaker: Is it the pleasure of the House to adopt this motion? [agreed] Would all honourable members please rise and remain standing to indicate their support for the motion?
A moment of silence was observed.
* (1710)
Hon. Harry Enns (Minister of Agriculture): Madam Speaker, I move, seconded by the Leader of the Opposition (Mr. Doer), that this House convey to the family of the late David Orlikow, who served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba, its sincere sympathy in their bereavement, and its appreciation of his devotion to duty in a useful life of active community and public service, and that Madam Speaker be requested to forward a copy of this resolution to the family.
Madam Speaker: Order, please. Can I just get clarification, because when the government House leader was leaving, he indicated that this one was to be dealt with last, and Mrs. Morrison to be dealt with prior to this one. [interjection] Oh, it is okay. All right.
Motion presented.
Mr. Enns: Madam Speaker, while there are no present members in the Chamber who had the opportunity of serving with David Orlikow in this Chamber, many of us certainly recall and are reminded of him walking just about on a daily basis into this building, particularly in his latter years, as he continued to give advice and counsel, no doubt, to the party of his choice, the party that he dedicated a lifetime of service to.
Mr. Orlikow was first elected to this Chamber on June 16, 1958, then re-elected in the election of 1959, and, then, resigned his seat in 1962 to contest the federal seat of Winnipeg North, which he then proceeded to hold for a significant number of years.
I had that privilege of being in this House when Mr. Orlikow was a member of the party that went through a change of name and, I suppose, some direction. When I first was elected to this Chamber, it was the CCF Party that sat in the benches opposite. I believe that stood for the Canadian Commonwealth Federation, a co-operative that was borne to some extent here on the Prairies. Certainly, we recall the kind of binding document known as the Regina Manifesto that to a large extent provided the philosophical and intellectual basis for this prairie movement that then went on with some considerable success in its transformation to what we now call the New Democratic Party. That transformation took place in the year 1966, here in Winnipeg, and elected as their first leader the then and still well remembered and successful leader, Tommy Douglas, to head the New Democratic Party onto the national scene.
I pass on, certainly, from the Premier (Mr. Filmon) and from all members of the government, our sincere condolences and sympathy to members of the family. We remember him and his presence in this Chamber very well. Thank you.
Mr. Gary Doer (Leader of the Opposition): Madam Speaker, I would like to thank the Minister of Agriculture for his comments. I would like to also start my remarks by saying that the member for Lakeside, the Minister of Agriculture is correct. It is hard for us to come to work and not see David, listen to David, hear his inspiration, take advantage of his reading. Day after day after day we would see him in our offices, in the loge, in the cafeteria. He was a source of inspiration to all of us and a source of so much intellectual research that he constantly provided to us.
I recall in his last week of life he was still researching material on the impact of smoking and the potential lawsuits the governments should take, the national and provincial governments should take against tobacco companies to reinvest in the health care system in Canada. He was doing a considerable amount of work in research on tobacco products. As a former sponsor of the nonsmoking bill of rights and a person who has supported the government in previous initiatives, I found quite a lot of comfort from his research and advice from the work he had been doing. I know that Judy Wasylycia-Leis, our former member for St. Johns and the health critic of our federal party, was using David's expertise continually.
He read so much. He read the Scientific American and talked about what the impact of early childhood intervention programs could be on the lives and poverty of children. He would supply that to you. He read about health care alternatives. He read the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, as I say, Scientific American. He was always researching reading material, passing on articles, passing on advice. We truly miss his intellectual capacity for researching and formulating policies that we must use to deal with some of our challenges into the 21st Century.
David was an inspirational person. He was very passionate. He was very articulate about his passions. Working people and their families were his passion. The principles and policies that affected the livelihood of average working people, organized workers and nonorganized workers were always front and centre on his mind. He would often be involved in campaigns to help organize workers into unions. He would be involved in campaigns to ensure unions got first contracts.
In fact, I am advised that he was one of the first people up in Thompson helping to organize the steel workers' local when Inco first moved into Thompson years ago. He was tenting in northern Manitoba, signing cards and establishing the first union local in that area, and of course, something that obviously later today continues to be a success in representing the families of northern Manitoba.
He obviously was a person who had respect from the public. He was elected for 43 years into public life, 43 years. I mean some members of this Chamber are not even that old. I have just barely turned that age myself, but 43 years is a long time--school trustee, a representative, an MLA in here, and over 25 years as a member of Parliament from the north end of Winnipeg. After that long, long 43-year period, the demographics changed and the north end constituency changed considerably, and he ultimately was defeated. But anybody who could be successful for that long a period of time deserves the respect and received the respect of people and members of the public from all walks of life and from all political persuasions.
I was proud to be at Tec Voc at the memorial service for David Orlikow. Our member for Kildonan (Mr. Chomiak) spoke; our former, as I say, deputy leader, Judy Wasylycia-Leis, spoke; Bill Blaikie spoke; Ed Schreyer spoke; Rob Hilliard spoke and others about his contributions to our province. All of us have the same kind of memory that David was always in your face for his beliefs. He never ever stopped in pushing for what he believed would provide working families with decent health care that he felt was a responsibility of the community to provide, a quality education that would give kids, children and families equal opportunities in this Canadian country, in this province of Manitoba.
* (1720)
He, of course, would always work tirelessly for working people and the rights of workers to have safe workplaces, organized workplaces, and workplaces where issues of justice could be resolved in a way that protected people from capricious activity from the odd employer that may practise that.
He, of course, went through a very, very difficult time, a very public time. He was the first one that went public, I believe, on the CIA experiments on his wife, Velma, and he went public with the fact that, I think there were some 40 patients in Canada that were part of experiments conducted by the CIA in Canada. I believe this took place during the Second World War--53 Canadians that were subject to these experimental brainwashing and interrogation techniques. He went public with this with a lawsuit that eventually was successful for the Orlikow family and for the children. Certainly he is to be congratulated for his strong stand, but I know of equal importance was his love of his wife and the feeling that she left this world too early because of those experiments on her.
Certainly he is a member of a north-end tradition and a group of politicians that have been tremendously successful in our party and in our movement: the, Saul Miller, Saul Cherniack and others in the north end of Winnipeg. They were really a very effective team, the federal MP and the very, very effective MLAs working together on behalf of their constituents.
I certainly always treasured the advice I received from David, the inspiration I received from David. I know that he as a person would have enjoyed in some ways the words of the speeches that were articulated at his memorial at Tec Voc in terms of his 43 years of service, but he was also very humble. I think he would have felt that we were spending too much time eulogizing and speechifying at the service, and not getting out researching or organizing a union or signing another member to the NDP or organizing another fundraising event so we can run another campaign in the north end for the party of his love and his beliefs.
He had extensive energy, extensive contacts, voluminous research, and a never-ending commitment to social justice. As Ed Schreyer said at the memorial, David, job well done, and I would like to say to David and his family: job well done on behalf of all Manitobans and all Canadians. You are, he is, has been one of a kind. His 43 years in public office are unparalleled or rarely matched, and he is a person who I know that the week he passed away, continued to articulate and study issues such as smoking that he felt were important to the health of his community and the health of his children. Thank you very much.
Mr. Dave Chomiak (Kildonan): I would like to spend a few moments talking about my friend, David Orlikow, and spending a few moments discussing both the man and some of his accomplishments.
I really got to know David initially--I had known David by reputation, of course, but I really got to know David initially during my first campaign in 1990. As I repeated to David on several occasions, and to many other individuals, he kind of set the tone for the kind of MLA that I wanted to be when I was elected. I remember going door to door with David. Remember, we are talking about a man that was quite elderly but was spry and full of energy, and going door to door with him, and the thing that struck me, without exaggeration, every second or third door, someone would say to me--say to us, because they did not know me, Mr. Orlikow, you helped me in 1958 with UIC, or Mr. Orlikow, you did this, or Mr. Orlikow, you helped my son. People hugged him at the door, overlooked me, which was appropriate, and it struck me that this man had worked so long and so hard in our community, that he was recognized for that.
He never took a lot of credit for that, and that is why I told a story on several occasions, because he only felt that was his role in life and his job, and he did not take credit for it. He simply felt that was what he had to do. I said after I was elected that if, perhaps, 20 percent of the individuals who acknowledged David could acknowledge me after my tenure in this Chamber, that I, indeed, would consider my tenure in this Chamber as successful.
I am not prepared for this speech, and that would have probably bothered David because he was an incredible researcher. I do not think he got the credit for the intelligence that he had and for his incredible capability of providing research and tracking down information. He was forever at my office the last eight years with research and documents to read, and, frankly, I could only read probably 30 percent of them. He had read them all, and he had them marked up for me and provided me with a wealth of information. His variety of reading was astounding, and when he picked a field to study, his knowledge was extraordinary, and he was always prepared. If you look and review his speeches, both in this Chamber and in the House of Commons, you will always see that he demonstrated incredible accuracy in terms of his speeches and his public pronouncements.
A couple of other anecdotes. About a year and a half ago, David was ill and in the hospital. So I visited him in Victoria Hospital, and he had done his typical style there. The entire room had been redecorated and turned into a mini-office, and there is David sitting on the edge of the bed with piles of sheets of paper around him and books. He had turned the hospital room into an office. He had a cell phone or some phone there, and he was connecting and he had continued working, much to the chagrin of his physician who had wanted him to rest.
David's most common phrase repeated to me was what can I do for you. He would come bounding into my office on a regular basis and say what can I do for you, and generally, was essentially looking--and that was actually his credo. I think that was basically the theme of his life, what can I do for you? I think we could do a lot worse in this life. We could do a lot worse than to have a credo like that, what can I do for you.
I have been blessed. David gave me a copy of his memoirs. He was convinced by individuals. Again, it is not something that he did easily, but he was convinced by individuals to write down his memoirs. I felt honoured that he provided me with one of the copies of his memoirs, and I have had a chance to go through them.
There is material for several books in those memoirs. Some of the stories are of a most extraordinary nature. The extent to which David would go to help his constituents is unparalleled in my experience. I mean I know a lot of elected officials and I know a lot of people here work hard, but some of those stories are absolutely extraordinary, the extent and the length that David would go to help a constituent if he felt that cause was right.
The member for Concordia (Mr. Doer) has talked about David's boundless energy. That was something extraordinary, that was something he was blessed with, and that was something he did not waste. He utilized it. He utilized it always in being active and in public causes.
The work that he did, even after Val passed away, with respect to the CIA experiments was something he did not have to do. It was something that caused him a lot of pain, but nonetheless he did it, not for himself, but for others and for the memory of Val. He worked very hard, and he pursued diligently the CIA and tried to get to the bottom of this situation in order to help those who had been harmed by the CIA experiments. That comprises a considerably long chapter in his memoirs that he provided to me.
* (1730)
I was visiting with a mutual friend of David's and mine about two weeks ago, and he said something which I think is very appropriate. He said: You know, I still miss David. I still expect to get those abrupt phone calls that all of us, who knew David, would get. David was not one for small talk. He would simply phone and start conversing about the issue that concerned him and that concerned us, bounding to the door, you know, ready to go with full energy on the project. My friend said to me: I still miss David, and frankly, I miss David too. I half expect him, when I am sitting in my office, to come bounding in, shuffling in with his can of Coke and a pile of papers in hand, but that is not to be, and I guess it is up to the rest of us to do our part to live up to a legacy of David Orlikow.
I know we are all extraordinary in some ways, and each human being is valuable. I certainly feel honoured to have had a mentor and a friend like David Orlikow. Thank you, Madam Speaker.
Mr. Doug Martindale (Burrows): Madam Speaker, I am privileged to be able to put a few remarks on the record about our friend David Orlikow. What kind of person will I remember him as? First of all, as a tenacious fighter for causes that he believed in. In the early 1980s he lobbied me on changes in the federal Bank Act. One of the things that he wanted to see was a community reinvestment act or section of the Bank Act that required chartered banks to invest some of their money in the local community in which their branches were located. He borrowed this idea from American legislation. He continually brought this up in speeches and continually brought it to our attention. Our federal party is still promoting this idea. I suggest it is probably because David Orlikow promoted this idea 15 years ago that we are still talking about it.
David Orlikow was a consummate politician. He always kept in touch with people in his community. I was one of dozens of people, as the member for Kildonan (Mr. Chomiak) pointed out, that he used to phone. When I worked in north end community ministry during the 1980s, he would phone up and say: What is new? I discovered that I was one of many, many people that were on the receiving end of these phone calls. I suspect that he phoned from airport lounges, and whenever he had even one or two minutes, he would phone someone. He would say: What is new? You would tell him, and then he would say thank you, and he was gone.
But I really appreciated his keeping in touch that way. He often came to see me at my place of work in the north end. I can also say that the member of Parliament for that area did not come to see me and also did not get re-elected, but David came to see me, and David got re-elected many, many times as we know. I think this was probably one of the reasons that he was re-elected so many times.
David Orlikow was very concerned for justice for all people, but especially for the poor and the marginalized. He was passionate about issues like poverty. He once said to me: if I was as concerned about suburban issues as I was about inner city issues, I might have been re-elected in 1988. A very interesting comment. I remember going with him as part of a delegation to City Hall in the 1980s to lobby a standing committee of City Council regarding an increase in social assistance rates, an issue that probably affected very few of his constituents in north Winnipeg, because he represented the area at that time north of Church Avenue, but an issue that was of concern to him. He also helped organize a meeting of inner city activists, including myself and cabinet ministers in the Pawley government, on poverty and housing issues, once again, inner city issues but something that he was very interested in.
In preparing to speak today, I asked the Legislative Library to find some of his Throne Speech Debate speeches. They found two for me. One from 1960 and 1961, and it makes for very interesting reading because he talks about amendments that were brought in regarding social assistance recipients and who qualified, and also about medicare. The speeches are really quite fascinating. His comments, I will not repeat them on the record, but very, very interesting reading about his views--I presume, speaking for his party being opposed to hospital premiums. In fact, there was a huge premium increase that he spoke against and speaking in favour of comprehensive health insurance which Canadians got just a few years later. He talked about the first experiment in universal health care insurance in Swift Current, Saskatchewan.
David gave me advice after I was elected. He said that I should deal with every issue brought to my attention by a voter, whether it was municipal, provincial or federal, which is something that I have continued to do, except more recently I now refer federal issues to our federal member of Parliament, Judy Wasylycia-Leis.
David Orlikow never really retired, as we have heard. He continued to do research for sure for provincial members of the New Democratic Party, and I suspect for federal members of Parliament in the NDP caucus as well, and for anyone who would listen to his ideas. He was extremely widely read, and he photocopied hundreds of articles and distributed them very widely.
In the federal election of 1984, my son Nathan worked for Mr. Orlikow. It was the first election that he worked in at the age of seven years old, dropping literature in mailboxes, and worked for him again in 1988. In 1988, David Orlikow worked in my election campaign. It was a brutal campaign. Voters were not very kind to me on the doorstep, except when Mr. Orlikow went with me canvassing door to door, because so many of them recognized him, so many of them called him by name, and he had helped so many of them as individuals as their member of the Legislature or as their member of Parliament. It was very interesting because I won half of the polls and lost half of the polls, but the polls that David Orlikow canvassed door to door with me, I won, and adjacent polls with similar voters and income next door, I lost those polls. So obviously his effect at the doorstep was very influential.
We will miss David Orlikow. He died so suddenly that it was hard to believe that he was here one day and gone the next. He made a wonderful contribution to the political process in Winnipeg and in Manitoba and in Canada, both serving his constituents and promoting social and economic justice issues. Thank you.
Mr. Conrad Santos (Broadway): I wish to pay tribute to Mr. David Orlikow, former member of Parliament for Winnipeg North. As the former MLA for Burrows, I had direct interaction with Mr. Orlikow. I remember when I was first campaigning, he offered to walk with me in the riding knocking door to door. I remember we had to climb the elevators in 145 Powers Street, the seniors home there, and introduce me to all the old folks in that place. I learned from him the fact that you have to be in touch directly with your constituents, and that is a lesson that I wish I will carry through.
Mr. Orlikow was a dedicated person, dedicated to his constituents. His priority was in following up cases of his constituents. That I also would like to emulate and follow. He had been a victim, through his wife, of injustice. The wife was one of those who were the victims of experiments, and yet when compensation was given the wife was ignored and omitted from those entitled to it on the grounds that she had already passed away. Mr. Orlikow had to fight and finally got justice. For this reason, I would consider him as a universal man with universal values for social justice, human rights and fighting for equality of treatment and against double standards.
He had been in touch with his constituents, I said. I was also frequently in his office there with Bill Puloski, his executive assistant, and he was devoting his time to following up cases of his constituents. As my colleague for Burrows stated, he was a constant communicator. He was on the phone all the time in the evening with people who not only had problems but with people who would be of help to those people with problems. But the one quality that I most admired in David Orlikow was his simplicity of lifestyle and his humility as a person. He never loved the limelight as other people do. He never seeked the headlines. He just did his work with a dedication for the ordinary person and for the ordinary members of his constituency.
* (1740)
Let me conclude and say it is better for any person in public life to have his own monument in the hearts of people whom he had served, rather than a monument in concrete in public parks or public places. If there is any meaning to dedication to public service, it is selflessness, forgetting oneself, and dedicating his life to the service of others. He had done that for 43 years. Thank you, Madam Speaker.
Mr. Gord Mackintosh (St. Johns): As the current member for St. Johns, I want to pay tribute to the first member for St. Johns, Mr. David Orlikow.
I think that, of all the observations one must make of Mr. Orlikow, here is an individual who devoted his entire life, his entire being, to others and to a political cause. This was not just a day job for David Orlikow. It was not a passing interest. He thought day and night, every day, of the good, the greater good, and the purposes and objectives of our movement.
I think, for example, of his later years, and after his retirement from the House of Commons, how he was almost permanently in this building, but then I hear from other people that, no, he was apparently everywhere. He spent a lot of time at the Union Centre in different offices.
He had a lot of different interests, but at the heart of his interests was always the needs of others. I can think of particular circumstances where this was exhibited in somewhat a humorous way. I recall one morning, before coming down to the Legislative Building, getting a call from Mr. Orlikow. He was suffering at that time from some ailment that had to be diagnosed, and he was in Victoria hospital. It was around 8:30 in the morning, and he said could I come and pick him up at the hospital, that if I signed him out and agreed that I would keep an eye on him, they would let him out for the day and he could come down to the Legislature and do his newspaper reading and photocopying and provide advice.
So I went down to get him, and I was not too sure when I saw him. I signed on the line and took him down to my car, and as we drove down Pembina Highway he, of course, was going on about one issue after another. I am sure that, for anyone watching, they must have been wondering who I was talking to or whether I was singing along with the radio because he was at that time becoming smaller in stature, and I do not think he could barely be seen. I was getting very concerned about his health, and that day in particular. I did not know what I had got myself into, but as we came to the Legislative Building he hopped up those stairs like he did on every other day and got into some of our offices here and began his work. Later that day I picked him up, all was well, and away he went back to the hospital. I do not know who picked him up the next day and the next day and the next day, but I suspect that someone did. He had schemed that out very well.
I remember one time, it was a Friday afternoon, I think around 5:30, and the kids, of course, were yelling and screaming and dinner was on, and the phone rang and it was David. Sometimes he would not introduce himself, you just knew who it was. He said that we had to do something about some regulation in the cab industry. It turned out, by the end of the conversation, that the reason this was on his mind at 5:30 on a Friday afternoon was that he had just come in from the airport and had got a ride with a cabbie who had relayed these concerns. He followed up with me on how we were dealing with those issues, but it showed his concern for public policy and for others.
He was canvassing in 1995 in St. Johns with me. He insisted on that. We went to the seniors blocks in particular, and the highrises, went door to door. What I noticed--it was a very important lesson--he asked people how they were doing, where they were from if they had a bit of an accent, went on to ask them how the adjustment was coming, what needs they had and how they could be met.
It was a long canvassing excursion always with David, but it was one where I clearly had an insight into how much this man cared for others. I respected and I appreciated his advice from time to time. I appreciated his research, often very extensive. He was someone who was aware of newspapers I had never heard of. He gathered information from around the world. I know one of his concerns in his later years, and a growing concern, was the use of tobacco and the harm that it was causing not just individuals but causing communities and causing a challenge to government as well.
He also had one of the most extensive networks of contacts. This was not simply because of his longevity in political life. It was because he took an interest in establishing contact, an interest in learning from others. If you had a question about any area of public policy, he would have contacts from coast to coast and elsewhere beyond these borders to assist.
So I am going to cut the speech short, because I know he would want that. He would want me to get back to the work of public policy and to further the goals and objectives of our movement. I salute Mr. David Orlikow, and at this time, once again, on behalf of the people that he served as a provincial MLA as well as a federal member of Parliament, recognize his invaluable contribution to the well-being of others. Thank you.
Hon. Gary Filmon (Premier): Madam Speaker, I know that many have said a great many appropriate things and reminiscences of David Orlikow, but as a person born and raised in the north end of Winnipeg, I want to add my own thoughts and condolences to the family of David Orlikow, particularly his daughter and grandchildren on the significant loss of a person who devoted virtually his entire life to the public.
As a matter of fact, growing up in the north end, I can hardly recall anybody else representing the area in which I lived because David Orlikow was so prominent. When you look at the history of his having been on the school board from 1945 to 1960 and then overlapped with being on City Council, an alderman at the City of Winnipeg from '51 to '58, and even overlapped his service on school board with his first election to this Legislature, which was, of course, between '58 and '62, he was a man who was totally devoted to service. In fact, he was literally a workaholic.
I know others have talked about the fact that he was always coming in and out of this building even in his retirement years with a stack of books, reference manuals and papers under his arm, whether he was working for the Manitoba Society of Seniors or, obviously, for the party, lifelong CCF, New Democrat, or whether it was for individuals with whom he had had contact over the years and for whom he still cared and acted really as their advocate, and in many ways as a shadow representative even after he had retired from Parliament. He was a remarkable individual in that devotion to service and the sort of individual that we know has made up the history of this Legislature and the Parliament of Canada, and yet in many ways probably the last of a breed, the last of an era, those who stay for three and four decades in public life and retain the same vitality and the same vigour and commitment to their cause and to their people. These are certainly things that I do not believe we are going to see in the future.
* (1750)
I just say, Madam Speaker, that although we had a different political belief, David and I always said hello as he was entering or leaving the building or walking down the halls. I think I probably saw him within a couple of weeks of his passing, because he was still coming into this building, either to do some research in the library, which was a place that he frequented, or perhaps just a chat with members opposite. So for that devoted service to the public, for that sense of commitment to the people of his province and his area of the city of Winnipeg in particular, that I know he loved so well, I just want to add my thanks and those of our party for a life of public service well served and indeed a life of service of which we can all be very, very proud and for which we are all very thankful.
Hon. David Newman (Minister responsible for Native Affairs): Madam Speaker, if I may just add some words to really complement what the Premier has just said. I made it a point to attend the memorial service of David Orlikow at Tec Voc because I had bumped into him from time to time and always had discussions with him which were meaningful, and I had a great deal of respect for someone that took his job as a parliamentarian so seriously.
He practised what he preached, and he performed the role of a service provider in ways that were not using charm, were not using political tricks, but were using his intellect, his time, and with a great deal of commitment and a growing experience. I just wanted to pay tribute to him and express my condolences to his family for whom he was a role model in terms of providing of service.
He did not have, in many cases, the balance in his life that many do, but hearing his grandson at the memorial service, it is very clear that he has left an imprint which is going to be very positive, and the family can be very proud of the legacy that he has left behind.
Thank you, Madam Speaker.
Madam Speaker: Is it the pleasure of the House to adopt the motion? [agreed]
Would honourable members please rise and remain standing to indicate their support for the motion.
A moment of silence was observed.
Hon. Gary Filmon (Premier): Madam Speaker, I move, seconded by the member for Pembina (Mr. Dyck), that this House convey to the family of the late Carolyne Morrison, who served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba, its sincere sympathy in their bereavement and its appreciation of her devotion to duty and a useful life of active community and public service and that Madam Speaker be requested to forward a copy of this resolution to the family.
Motion presented.
Mr. Filmon: Madam Speaker, on behalf of members on this side of the House, all my colleagues and members of our party, I join with all members of Carolyne Morrison's family and her friends, through the many experiences and activities in which she was involved throughout her life, in giving thanks for her devotion to her family, to her fellow citizens, to her neighbours, to her friends, to her community, indeed, to Manitoba in general.
Carolyne Morrison was a member of this Legislative Assembly from December 9, 1960 until the June 25, 1969 general election, which she did not contest. She was elected three times, in 1960, '62 and '66. I had the great privilege of meeting her in Morden in 1981, when I was a member of the cabinet of Sterling Lyon and we were on a cabinet tour in that area, and she came to a public function that we had, a coffee and conversation, introduced herself to me. We had a very pleasant chat. Then, after that time, at a number of other occasions at various party events in southern Manitoba, I had a chance to see her.
I was absolutely fascinated at all of the things that she had done in her life. Certainly, she was elected a member of this Legislature at a time when there were not many women. In fact, I think that she and Thelma Forbes served together and were the only two in this House during that period of time. She actually took the seat that had been represented by her husband, her late husband, and had been approached by members of the party to contest it after the seat had gone to a member of another party. She was successful in a by-election and then, as I said earlier, continued to serve for a period of approximately nine years.
She was certainly a Manitoban in every respect: born in the Ridgeville area, near Emerson; took her schooling in Ridgeville and in St. Jean; attended Brandon Normal School and earned a teaching certificate in 1923; taught at Overdale, Windygates, Myrtle and Miami; married her beloved Hughie in 1938; was very supportive of all of his activities, whether it be as a farmer, as an auctioneer or as a member of this Legislature, until his death in 1957.
Carolyne epitomizes so many women that I have come to regard as the backbone of our rural society in so many ways. When you look at all the organizations that she devoted herself to aside from public life, aside from her career as a teacher, aside from her career as a wife, as a participant in the farm and all of those things, you know she was in office with the local Red Cross; 12 years on the Manitou Hospital board; was the local correspondent for a western Canadian newspaper for her district; was an organist for both the Baptist and United Churches; and, quite fascinating, she was an active participant in the Manitou Horticultural Society; very proud to have been involved in the development of a small park on the edge of Manitou that features a one-room school.
You look at all of those things, and you know why Carolyne Morrison was elected to represent those areas, because she was spending her whole life representing people and working for people as a volunteer and as an active participant in all these organizations. I found it interesting that she was known for many acts of kindness and her generosity of spirit and for saying the right thing at the right time to people, writing them that note just when it was most needed. One of the things that she wrote on one occasion was, and I quote: I have heard it said the service we render in this world is the rent we pay for the privilege of being here. I hope I have paid at least part of my rent.
* (1800)
Indeed, when you read her biography, she certainly did pay her rent in full at all times as a very active contributor in all respects to the betterment of our lives here in Manitoba. Because of her many services within our party and as a member of this Legislature, she was made an honorary life member of our party, something of which we should all be very, very proud.
So, today, on behalf of all members of our party, Madam Speaker, I want to extend our condolences to her surviving family and friends and certainly put on the record our thanks for a life filled with service to fellow citizens, to neighbours, to friends, to community and to Manitoba.
Hon. James McCrae (Government House Leader): Madam Speaker, in order to accommodate the work of the House, I wonder if we might not see the clock until 7 p.m.
Madam Speaker: Is that the will of the House? [agreed]
Mr. Gary Doer (Leader of the Opposition): Madam Speaker, I want to join with the Premier and pay tribute to the late Carolyne Morrison and her contributions to this Legislature and the people of this province. I had a chance to read through Carolyne's contributions just a few moments ago. I did not know her. It was interesting to note that Dr. Jack Armstrong is a nephew of Carolyne. I do know him, if he is the same Jack Armstrong who is the former head of the Medical Association here in Manitoba and the national president. I bumped into one of his relatives this morning. On my way in I almost blocked the Premier's route in. We were having a long chat about the issues of the day.
So I know Carolyne through a couple of other relatives. It is a family, obviously, of strong personal commitment to their fellow citizens, as the Premier (Mr. Filmon) has indicated in his comments. When you look through her tremendous participation: a teacher, a local Red Cross representative, on the Manitou Hospital board, she is, as the Premier has described, a person who exemplifies the kind of community and co-operation and family participation that makes our community so strong and makes our province so rich. It has always been my belief it is our people who make us strong and make us rich in our lives.
I have not visited the park that she established, but the one-room school house is not only a park that she should be credited for establishing, but--I would like to see it and take my kids there. I am sure that they would find it strange to know that at one point in our history that school was the one-room school house and all the kids in there were different grades, as each community had their school. I think that lasting legacy is important for our history.
I want to pay tribute to Carolyne's contributions to this Legislature: elected in 1960; re-elected in '62 and '66; obviously another strong representative of the Roblin government that I felt was a very, very worthy government; brought a lot of modernization to our province; was a decent human-balanced government; brought a lot of Manitoba, if you will, into the latter part of the century with education and health care, and obviously people like Carolyne contributed to those decisions with the background that she brought to this Legislature. So on behalf of our party, I want to thank Carolyne Morrison for her contributions to her fellow citizens. I want to thank her for her lasting contributions to our community, and I look forward to someday visiting the one-room schoolhouse park that she has left for us in Manitou. Thank you.
Mr. Peter Dyck (Pembina): I, too, would like to just put a few words on the record. I had the opportunity of attending the memorial service, and at the service I had the opportunity to speak to members of her family.
Certainly the quote that the Premier read was indicative of her life, and so I asked the members of the family as to what I could remember her as and what some of the words were, the thoughts that came to their minds in memory of her. I think, as has already been indicated, she passed away--I believe she was 92 years old, but she was afflicted with a disease, Alzheimer's, at the end--but the comments that were made about her at that time were simply the fact that through everything and through her illness, there were three words that they remembered her by, and those were the words gracious, dignified, and generous. Certainly this was something that they remembered her as, even in the last days of her life.
She loved young people. She loved teaching. Her nieces and nephews were known to come to her place in summer. As an MLA, she spent the majority of her time in Winnipeg during the winters, but during the summer she went back to the farm and would run the farm, but her nieces and nephews would come and stay at her place. They just remembered the tremendous times that they had together with her.
The other comment I would like to put on the record is that legend has it that as a teacher, approaching Christmastime each year, she would be convincing her students and telling them that in order to be able to have the program at the school, she would be out looking for Santa Claus. So this is something that I am told she did year after year, and this is what they remembered her by. She was a great person. I did not have the opportunity to learn to know her, but certainly I want to also express my condolences to the family and the fondness that they remember her by. Thank you very much.
Hon. Harry Enns (Minister of Agriculture): Madam Speaker, I just want to associate myself with those comments that have already been made with respect to Carolyne Morrison.
It was my privilege to have sat in this Chamber with her for a period of some three years. I have very fond memories of her in our caucus. She was the only woman member in our caucus at that time, the other woman member being a Speaker of the House, Miss Thelma Forbes, as the Premier has already alluded to, so Carolyne had a lot to put up with sometimes, as you can imagine in those days. But certainly to her family, to her loved ones, she was a tremendous inspiration.
I had the privilege of some years later, sometime after she had left public office, to visit in her home, and as has already been alluded to, she was an accomplished pianist and organist and served in that capacity for many years for the Baptist Church and for the United Church, but I recall spending a pleasant evening with her at her piano in her home, and myself in my modest way enjoying singing some hymns which provided for a nice evening of meditation. So, certainly in the memory of Carolyne Morrison, the years that I was privileged to have served with her in this Chamber, my most sincere sympathy to her family. I take this opportunity to join in this resolution of sympathy.
* (1810)
Madam Speaker: Is it the pleasure of the House to adopt this motion? [agreed]
Would all honourable members please rise and remain standing to indicate their support for the motion.
A moment of silence was observed.
Mr. McCrae: Madam Speaker, with the leave of the House, I move, seconded by the honourable Minister of Agriculture (Mr. Enns), that Madam Speaker do now leave the Chair and the House resolve itself into a committee to consider of the Supply to be granted to Her Majesty.
Motion agreed to.