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He was a Speaker without a voice, but for at least a few minutes Wednesday, Mauril Bélanger accomplished his goal of bringing decorum and grace to the House of Commons.
Bélanger, 60, winner of eight straight elections and a 21-year Liberal MP for Ottawa-Vanier, was Speaker for the day — honorary Occupant of the Chair in official parlance — fulfilling a personal goal that was cruelly taken from him when he was diagnosed in late November with ALS. Better known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, the relentless and inevitably fatal wasting illness has already taken Bélanger’s voice and much of his mobility.
He is the first ever honorary speaker, the result of a rare unanimous vote by MPs in December, just days after he disclosed his illness. It was an extraordinary honour that began in an extraordinary way when Bélanger, wearing the traditional black robes and tricorn hat, led the Speaker’s Parade to the House of Commons.
Friends and family, MPs — from the prime minister to Opposition backbenchers — members of the public and parliamentary employees lined the Centre Block corridors four deep as Bélanger moved slowly and with the aid of a walker as applause and cheers echoed through the hallways.
The scene brought many to tears.
“I don’t think I’ve felt this much emotion since I saw Pierre Trudeau lie in state in the Hall of Honour,” said Senator Jim Munson, a longtime friend of Bélanger’s who just last week travelled with him on a government delegation to Africa. “To see a friend honoured in that way sent chills down my spine.”
MPs gave Bélanger a standing ovation as he entered the House and was assisted to the Speaker’s chair by a gaggle of MPs. He hasn’t spoken with his own voice in the House since December and now communicates with computer-generated voice that responds to commands on an iPad.
“You look great up there,” said Conservative leader Rona Ambrose. “You have achieved in a very short period of time what many Speakers dream of — a well-behaved chamber.”
Ambrose urged Canadians to support organizations working to find a cure for ALS.
As he recognized members and their ridings, his utterances brought cheers. Bélanger used the device for the first time in January when he reintroduced his private member’s bill to change the words of O Canada to a make the anthem gender neutral. Bélanger had long dreamed of being Speaker and was considered a front runner until he was forced to withdraw his name after his diagnosis.
Bélanger occasionally needed assistance to type his responses, but there was no doubting his meaning when he flashed a vigorous thumbs up to the House.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau saluted Bélanger “for the dignity and grace you bring to the House every day as you battle this terrible disease.”
Speaking in French, Trudeau said: “Since your election, in 1995, you’ve fought tirelessly for the linguistic duality of Canada, national unity and a just and equitable society for all. We will continue to support your incredible work, especially with a new plan on official languages that will support the English and French linguistic minorities in the country.”
Known as a solid “constituency man,” Bélanger is one of the longest serving MPs and often took the Liberal bastion of Ottawa-Vanier with more than 50 per cent of the vote. He was instrumental in establishing Beechwood National Cemetery and worked behind the scenes federally to save the Montfort Hospital when it was threatened with closure.
Bélanger met with reporters in his office on Tuesday and offered brief answers to a handful of questions about Wednesday’s honours.
“I wanted to be Speaker in order to be able to fully devote my parliamentary knowledge and expertise to the service of the House of Commons and its members,” he said, through his iPad. “I believe that after more than 20 years of service as a Member of Parliament, I had all of the attributes and skills required to be a good Speaker. Also, I wanted to make a difference, notably improving the decorum. Lastly, I wanted to make a priority of protecting and enhancing the rights of all Members of Parliament in the House so that they can better serve the needs of their constituents and the Canadian public.”
Alain-Michel Sékula has known Bélanger since his university days and was in the gallery to watch his friend’s dream of being Speaker come true — if only for a day. Bélanger first mused about the Speaker’s chair a decade ago, Sékula said.
“I think what triggered it was that he felt that the House had lost some civility. He felt the House needed to bring back more decorum to reassure Canadians that the institution was worth it and to be respected. Like the politicians or not, you have to respect Parliament.
“There are not too many 20 years plus MPs,” Sékula said. “He’s seen it from both sides. I think he felt that he could bring something to the position. He felt he could bring — and these are his words, not mine, ‘non-partisan partisanship.’ You can be partisan for one party or the other, but when you’re in the House, there is procedure that has to be respected.”
Bélanger’s illness was apparent during last year’s election campaign, but he dismissed the symptoms as as a common cold or fatigue, said his chief of staff Alexandre Mattard-Michaud.
“He told me that he thought he had a cold. He thought, ‘that must be some bad cold I’ve got.’ He told me he was going to consult a doctor. It turns out that nothing came out. So he did further tests and only in late in November did it come out that it was ALS.”
ALS affects about 2,500 Canadians. The disease progression is unpredictable, sometimes killing within months, sometimes stabilizing for years. British physicist Stephen Hawking has lived with ALS for more than five decades, his mind untouched but forced to speak with a computerized keyboard.
Bélanger’s role as Speaker lasted about 30 minutes Wednesday, before he relinquished the seat to the regular Speaker, Geoff Regan. His thank you was short and simple.
“I want to thank you all dear colleagues of this House for the great priviledge you have bestowed on me to serve as honorary Speaker of the House of Commons today. Thank you very much.”
Then Trudeau, Ambrose and friends and fellow Liberal MPs Andrew Leslie (Orléans) and Greg Fergus (Hull-Aylmer) helped him with the three steps down to the floor of the House of Commons and Bélanger disappeared through the Speaker’s entrance to attend a private reception. Govenment House Leader Daniel Leblanc was one of many to wipe tears from their eyes as Bélanger departed.
“To me Mauril is living in the moment,” said Munson, who watched from the Senate Gallery. “A single-minded determination to continue to work as long as he can work. I have no doubt in my mind that he feels he can get through this, even though there is no cure for ALS.”
bcrawford@postmedia.com
Twitter.com/getBAC
查看原文...
Bélanger, 60, winner of eight straight elections and a 21-year Liberal MP for Ottawa-Vanier, was Speaker for the day — honorary Occupant of the Chair in official parlance — fulfilling a personal goal that was cruelly taken from him when he was diagnosed in late November with ALS. Better known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, the relentless and inevitably fatal wasting illness has already taken Bélanger’s voice and much of his mobility.
He is the first ever honorary speaker, the result of a rare unanimous vote by MPs in December, just days after he disclosed his illness. It was an extraordinary honour that began in an extraordinary way when Bélanger, wearing the traditional black robes and tricorn hat, led the Speaker’s Parade to the House of Commons.
Friends and family, MPs — from the prime minister to Opposition backbenchers — members of the public and parliamentary employees lined the Centre Block corridors four deep as Bélanger moved slowly and with the aid of a walker as applause and cheers echoed through the hallways.
The scene brought many to tears.
“I don’t think I’ve felt this much emotion since I saw Pierre Trudeau lie in state in the Hall of Honour,” said Senator Jim Munson, a longtime friend of Bélanger’s who just last week travelled with him on a government delegation to Africa. “To see a friend honoured in that way sent chills down my spine.”
MPs gave Bélanger a standing ovation as he entered the House and was assisted to the Speaker’s chair by a gaggle of MPs. He hasn’t spoken with his own voice in the House since December and now communicates with computer-generated voice that responds to commands on an iPad.
“You look great up there,” said Conservative leader Rona Ambrose. “You have achieved in a very short period of time what many Speakers dream of — a well-behaved chamber.”
Ambrose urged Canadians to support organizations working to find a cure for ALS.
As he recognized members and their ridings, his utterances brought cheers. Bélanger used the device for the first time in January when he reintroduced his private member’s bill to change the words of O Canada to a make the anthem gender neutral. Bélanger had long dreamed of being Speaker and was considered a front runner until he was forced to withdraw his name after his diagnosis.
Bélanger occasionally needed assistance to type his responses, but there was no doubting his meaning when he flashed a vigorous thumbs up to the House.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau saluted Bélanger “for the dignity and grace you bring to the House every day as you battle this terrible disease.”
Speaking in French, Trudeau said: “Since your election, in 1995, you’ve fought tirelessly for the linguistic duality of Canada, national unity and a just and equitable society for all. We will continue to support your incredible work, especially with a new plan on official languages that will support the English and French linguistic minorities in the country.”
Known as a solid “constituency man,” Bélanger is one of the longest serving MPs and often took the Liberal bastion of Ottawa-Vanier with more than 50 per cent of the vote. He was instrumental in establishing Beechwood National Cemetery and worked behind the scenes federally to save the Montfort Hospital when it was threatened with closure.
Bélanger met with reporters in his office on Tuesday and offered brief answers to a handful of questions about Wednesday’s honours.
“I wanted to be Speaker in order to be able to fully devote my parliamentary knowledge and expertise to the service of the House of Commons and its members,” he said, through his iPad. “I believe that after more than 20 years of service as a Member of Parliament, I had all of the attributes and skills required to be a good Speaker. Also, I wanted to make a difference, notably improving the decorum. Lastly, I wanted to make a priority of protecting and enhancing the rights of all Members of Parliament in the House so that they can better serve the needs of their constituents and the Canadian public.”
Alain-Michel Sékula has known Bélanger since his university days and was in the gallery to watch his friend’s dream of being Speaker come true — if only for a day. Bélanger first mused about the Speaker’s chair a decade ago, Sékula said.
“I think what triggered it was that he felt that the House had lost some civility. He felt the House needed to bring back more decorum to reassure Canadians that the institution was worth it and to be respected. Like the politicians or not, you have to respect Parliament.
“There are not too many 20 years plus MPs,” Sékula said. “He’s seen it from both sides. I think he felt that he could bring something to the position. He felt he could bring — and these are his words, not mine, ‘non-partisan partisanship.’ You can be partisan for one party or the other, but when you’re in the House, there is procedure that has to be respected.”
Bélanger’s illness was apparent during last year’s election campaign, but he dismissed the symptoms as as a common cold or fatigue, said his chief of staff Alexandre Mattard-Michaud.
“He told me that he thought he had a cold. He thought, ‘that must be some bad cold I’ve got.’ He told me he was going to consult a doctor. It turns out that nothing came out. So he did further tests and only in late in November did it come out that it was ALS.”
ALS affects about 2,500 Canadians. The disease progression is unpredictable, sometimes killing within months, sometimes stabilizing for years. British physicist Stephen Hawking has lived with ALS for more than five decades, his mind untouched but forced to speak with a computerized keyboard.
Bélanger’s role as Speaker lasted about 30 minutes Wednesday, before he relinquished the seat to the regular Speaker, Geoff Regan. His thank you was short and simple.
“I want to thank you all dear colleagues of this House for the great priviledge you have bestowed on me to serve as honorary Speaker of the House of Commons today. Thank you very much.”
Then Trudeau, Ambrose and friends and fellow Liberal MPs Andrew Leslie (Orléans) and Greg Fergus (Hull-Aylmer) helped him with the three steps down to the floor of the House of Commons and Bélanger disappeared through the Speaker’s entrance to attend a private reception. Govenment House Leader Daniel Leblanc was one of many to wipe tears from their eyes as Bélanger departed.
“To me Mauril is living in the moment,” said Munson, who watched from the Senate Gallery. “A single-minded determination to continue to work as long as he can work. I have no doubt in my mind that he feels he can get through this, even though there is no cure for ALS.”
bcrawford@postmedia.com
Twitter.com/getBAC
查看原文...
