Vancouver Sun

B. C. Sen. Gerry St. Germain bids emotional farewell to upper chamber

Former air force pilot was named to the Senate in 1993 by Brian Mulroney

- PETER O’NEIL poneil@postmedia.com Twitter.com/poneilinot­tawa Read his blog, Letter from Ottawa, at vancouvers­un.com/oneil

OTTAWA — B. C. Conservati­ve Sen. Gerry St. Germain, in an emotional final address to the upper chamber before his retirement next week, called on Parliament to enact aboriginal self- government legislatio­n and called Brian Mulroney the greatest prime minister in Canadian history.

St. Germain, who turns 75 next Tuesday, was a key ally and friend of Mulroney’s during the Progressiv­e Conservati­ve government­s of 1984- 1993, and later played a critical role in the uniting of the PC party and the Canadian Alliance — the necessary step to Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s three successive election wins since 2006.

While he called Harper a friend and praised the prime minister’s “able and steadfast leadership,” he reserved his loftiest praise for Mulroney.

He cited Mulroney’s lead role in fighting apartheid in South Africa and bringing in the CanadaU. S. Free Trade Agreement and the Goods and Services Tax, both enormously controvers­ial initiative­s.

“I am confident historians will rightly position Brian Mulroney as Canada’s greatest prime minister,” he said in a provocativ­e comment that didn’t receive any applause, even though several Mulroney appointees, including Senate Government leader Marjory LeBreton, were in the chamber.

“The hallmark of a true leader is showing the confidence to risk your political capital in order to do what is right to protect the future of your country — knowing that the pages of history and not the electorate will be the judge of your actions.”

St. Germain also raised his controvers­ial decision in 2000

I am confident historians will rightly position Brian Mulroney as Canada’s greatest prime minister.

GERRY ST. GERMAIN B. C. CONSERVATI­VE SENATOR

to leave the PC caucus, then led by Joe Clark. He first sat as an independen­t and then joined the Canadian Alliance after Stockwell Day beat Preston Manning in that new party’s leadership race.

Without naming names, he said there are still Conservati­ve senators who reacted with hostility to that decision during the 2000- 2003 period before the two feuding parties merged.

“There are some former colleagues of this place, and some who are still present, who did their best to have my participat­ion in the Senate squelched because they were displeased with my stance.”

LeBreton, who later gave her own speech extolling St. Germain’s accomplish­ments, loudly chuckled in response to the comment.

Later, Tory Sen. David Tkachuk joked about the tension between St. Germain and LeBreton, and then Liberal Jane Cordy pointed out how surprised senators were with Harper’s picks in his first cabinet after the 2006 election.

Harper named LeBreton, an outspoken defender of Clark and critic of the Reform- Alliance parties before the merger, rather than St. Germain as Senate government leader — an automatic cabinet post.

St. Germain, a Metis born in poverty in a small community near Winnipeg and became chairman of the Senate aboriginal peoples committee, will introduce a bill Thursday on self- government.

Noting that numerous selfgovern­ment bills tabled and debated in the Senate never passed, he called on his colleagues to help accelerate the move to the kind of self- government that has benefited a small number of First Nations.

He singled out the West Bank, Tsawwassen and Maa- nulth First Nations in B. C., the CreeNaskap­i in northern Quebec, and the Tlicho of the Northwest Territorie­s.

St. Germain, whose committee report earlier this year criticized the federal government for foot- dragging on self- government and land treaties in B. C., said those First Nations are “good examples of success, but more, much more, needs to be accomplish­ed.”

St. Germain, a former air force pilot, policeman and businessma­n who was first elected in 1983, was named to the Senate in 1993 — five years after losing his seat in a general election.

While an MP from 19831988, he served as Mulroney’s national caucus chairman, and was briefly a cabinet minister. After losing his seat, he became president of the Progressiv­e Conservati­ve party.

St. Germain, by mistake, skipped a page in his speech in which he urged senators to show less partisansh­ip.

“If I may leave you with a word of advice, it is to never stop learning from those around you, even if it means letting down your partisan guard to listen to an opinion from across the chamber,” the text of his planned speech read.

 ?? WAYNE LEIDENFROS­T/ PNG FILES ?? Before his retirement next week, Metis- born Sen. Gerry St. Germain will introduce a bill on aboriginal self- government.
WAYNE LEIDENFROS­T/ PNG FILES Before his retirement next week, Metis- born Sen. Gerry St. Germain will introduce a bill on aboriginal self- government.

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