ELSIE WAYNE, A FORMER NEW BRUNSWICK MP AND MAYOR OF SAINT JOHN, HAS DIED AT 84. SHE WAS REMEMBERED TUESDAY AS A LOYAL AND FEISTY WOMAN WHO SHUNNED THE ATTRIBUTES OF POLITICAL CORRECTNESS.
Tributes pour in for ‘political icon’ Elsie Wayne
•When Elsie Wayne called Saint John, N.B., “the greatest little city in the East,” she made you believe it — and it was that unassailable love of her city that carried her to prominence during a 29-year career in Canadian politics.
The former mayor and New Brunswick member of Parliament died at her home Tuesday at the age of 84.
Her death was confirmed by the province’s official Opposition, saying she had died peacefully in her sleep.
News of her passing prompted an outpouring of tributes and memories on social media from a wide cross-section of past and present politicians.
“She was one of the last of the large political personalities in Canada,” said Frank McKenna, the former New Brunswick Liberal premier.
“She shunned political correctness; she said what she thought; she was passionate about what she believed in; she was feisty; and she was intensely loyal to her causes, particularly the city of Saint John.”
Elsie Eleanore Fairweather was born in Shediac, N.B., in 1932, but moved to Saint John at an early age. She was first elected to the city’s common council in 1977 and became the city’s first female mayor in 1983.
McKenna said, despite the fact they came from different political backgrounds, he and Wayne worked well together, trying to complete many projects in a short period of time.
“Even though sometimes her methods might lack a bit of finesse, nobody could doubt her motivation, it was always in the best interest of Saint John,” he said.
In 1993, Wayne and Jean Charest were the only Progressive Conservative MPs to win their seats in the House of Commons. She represented the riding of Saint John until 2004.
Trevor Holder, a Tory member of the New Brunswick legislature at the time, called Wayne “one of a kind.”
“She was a larger-than-life figure. When Elsie walked into a room, you knew that she was there. She had a presence. She had a presence because she connected with people,” he said.
“You knew that she was the same person if she was in a boardroom in Toronto, fighting for the interests of Saint John, as she was walking through the City Market.”
Wayne quickly earned a reputation as a fierce combatant on issues she cared about — the city of Saint John, funding for the Canadian Forces and benefits for merchant mariners.
In early 2004, she drew criticism for her remarks during the debate on samesex marriage.
In a speech in the House of Commons, Wayne said she wondered why men would want to appear “dressed up as women on floats” in gay pride parades.
She also suggested gays and lesbians were only seeking publicity by campaigning for the right to marry.
“If they are going to live together, they can go live together and shut up about it,” she said.
The comments drew a rebuke from Scott Brison, her former colleague in the Tory caucus, who described her views as “rabid prejudice.”
She was also known for her staunch opposition to abortion.
During a news conference in 2001, she applauded thenNew Brunswick premier Bernard Lord for refusing to fund abortions at the Morgentaler clinic in Fredericton. The Conservative premier “does not want to have Morgentaler there killing babies every day,” Wayne said.
Don Desserud, a professor at the University of Prince Edward Island, said Wayne had a great sense of humour that she did not lose when she moved to national politics.
“She had a flair for the flamboyance. The one where she showed up in the House of Commons wearing the reindeer antlers or the outrageous sweaters,” he told the CBC.
Despite the odd controversy, Wayne retired from politics in 2004 without ever having lost an election.
She suffered a stroke in November 2009.
Bruce Fitch, interim leader for the New Brunswick Progressive Conservative Party, issued a statement Tuesday, calling Wayne “a political icon.”
“She was never afraid to speak her mind and served her people, her city, her province and her country well. It is with a profound feeling of respect that we say farewell to this grand lady,” he said.
Wayne was married to Richard Wayne and they had two sons, Daniel and Stephen.
Her funeral will be held on Saturday.