CANADA 2nd SESSION • 36th PARLIAMENT • VOLUME 138 • NUMBER 50 OFFICIAL REPORT (HANSARD) Tuesday, May 2, 2000 THE HONOURABLE ROSE-MARIE LOSIER-COOL SPEAKER PRO TEMPORE This issue contains the latest listing of Senators, Officers of the Senate, the Ministry, and Senators serving on Standing, Special and Joint Committees. CONTENTS (Daily index of proceedings appears at back of this issue.) Debates and Publications: Chambers Building, Room 943, Tel. 996-0193 Published by the Senate Available from Canada Communication Group — Publishing, Public Works and Government Services Canada, Ottawa K1A 0S9, Also available on the Internet: http://www.parl.gc.ca 1170 THE SENATE Tuesday, May 2, 2000 The Senate met at 2:00 p.m., the Speaker pro tempore in the Last week, Richard Donahoe joined this political pantheon and Chair. there he belongs, now part of the proud political history and tradition of Nova Scotia. He was a greatly gifted and greatly respected public man. He was much beloved, especially by the Prayers. rank and file of the Progressive Conservative Party. Personally, and from my earliest days as a political partisan, I recall his kindness, thoughtfulness and encouragement to me and to others. THE LATE HONOURABLE Dick was an inspiration to several generations of young RICHARD A. DONAHOE, Q.C. Progressive Conservatives in Nova Scotia. • (1410) TRIBUTES The funeral service was, as they say nowadays, quite “upbeat.” Hon. Lowell Murray: Honourable senators, I have the sad It was the mass of the resurrection, the Easter service, really, with duty to record the death, on Tuesday, April 25, of our former great music, including a Celtic harp and the choir from Senator colleague the Honourable Richard A. Donahoe. Richard Carstairs’ old school. Two former archbishops of Halifax Donahoe was elected mayor of Halifax during the 1950s, was conducted the service. five times elected to the Nova Scotia legislature and, from 1979 until his retirement in 1984, was a member of the Senate. It is no disrespect to the liturgy to say that it was also quite a political occasion. Many of Nova Scotia’s leading political In provincial politics, Richard Donahoe served in figures from the recent past and present were there, and probably the governments of Premier Robert L. Stanfield and Premier a few of the future leaders as well. I saw people there with whom G.I. Smith as attorney general and minister of public health. In Dick Donahoe had clashed memorably over the years, some of the latter capacity, he is best known for having successfully them Conservatives. They were all there to pay a respectful and guided the implementation of both the National Hospital affectionate farewell. Insurance Plan in the late 1950s and of medicare in the late 1960s in his province. The luck of the Irish had been with Dick Donahoe more than 60 years ago when he met and married a Cape Bretoner, Richard Donahoe was a wonderful orator and also a keen Eileen Boyd. She was there Saturday with her children and judge of oratory. From time to time in my youth, I found myself grandchildren. a small part of a supporting cast of speakers at some of those marathon political meetings in Nova Scotia where Dick Donahoe was usually the main attraction. It was a somewhat intimidating Altogether, I think the send-off was appropriate to his life — blessed by the church and surrounded by friends and colleagues experience. For five years here in the Senate, whenever I spoke, in the city he loved and served. Dick would have found no fault I was aware of his attentive eye and ear. Even today, it is with some trepidation that I begin. Let there be no doubt — he expects in the service, and I hope only that he will find none in our us to rise to this occasion. telling of it. It was always a great experience to have been in Dick Donahoe’s company, and I am honoured to have known him. His funeral last Saturday was at St. Mary’s Basilica in Halifax. In that same church, 105 years ago, the requiem was for Sir John Hon. B. Alasdair Graham: Honourable senators, I join with Thompson, sometime premier of Nova Scotia and fourth prime the Honourable Senator Murray in paying tribute to our late minister of Canada. There, 46 years ago, the bells tolled for the colleague the Honourable Richard A. Donahoe. The passing of Honourable Angus L. Macdonald, premier through five elections former senator Donahoe was, as indicated by Senator Murray, and Canada’s minister of the navy during World War II. Not far deeply mourned at his funeral in Halifax last Saturday. As well, away is Government House, where Joseph Howe, the father of his life was properly celebrated. responsible government, died in 1873, and Camp Hill Cemetery, where he is buried. At St. Paul’s Anglican Church, at the other end of Barrington Street, funeral services were held in 1915 for The great Tory warrior, whose tireless passion for public Sir Charles Tupper, premier of Nova Scotia, father of service was the engine of his long and distinguished career, led a Confederation and sixth prime minister of Canada. On an life far larger than most of his contemporaries. His was a life occasion such as Saturday’s, one is conscious of being gigantic in generosity, voluminous in achievement, and surrounded by history. magnificent in its impact on all of those he touched in this world. May 2, 2000 SENATE DEBATES 1171 Yes, former senator Richard Donahoe was always larger than up for an ideal or acts to improve the lot of others or strikes out life. Whether as mayor of his beloved native city of Halifax, or against injustice, he sends forth a ripple of hope. as minister of health and attorney general in the Stanfield and Smith governments, or as a member of this chamber from 1979 to 1984, Dick Donahoe brought the power of his presence to Honourable senators, although the golden voice is now many of the great issues of our time, including one of which he silenced, the ripples of former senator Richard Donahoe’s life was most proud — a leading role in the implementation of and times will always be with us. medicare in Nova Scotia. To his beloved wife, Eileen, to his children and to his extended family, we extend an expression of the deepest sympathy. A deeply conservative, partisan patriarch of a large, talented and politically committed Nova Scotia family — with the good sense to marry a Liberal, I might add, the beautiful and Hon. J. Michael Forrestall: Honourable senators, I wish to accomplished Mary Eileen Boyd — Dick remained always the join with Senator Graham and Senator Murray in expressing my fiery and convincing patriot to his city, to his province, to his thoughts on the passing of Dick Donahoe. I want at the outset to country, to his church and to his wonderful Irish inheritance. express my sympathies to his family, to his children, to his grandchildren and to his very large and growing family. Indeed, Dick Donahoe always represented to me many of the I have known and worked with Dick Donahoe since 1957, fine qualities which are part of that inheritance. He was when I was working with the party in those days. It was said of quick-witted and gifted with a commanding presence. He was Dick that if he did not know you, he knew someone in your eloquent and a champion of all his beliefs. He had a gift for family. That is sort of gospel in that it says something of the man phrases that lingered in the minds of all those who heard him. who cared, yes, about his city, his church, his family and his Dick’s wonderful, deep, baritone voice spoke out always for province, but above all he cared for all of the people in that what he saw to be true, for what he saw to be right, and spoke out charge. over the decades for his cherished city, his beloved province, and always in the interests of the public service of his country. • (1420) Honourable senators, Dick Donahoe was a great debater in this He was a great Nova Scotian. The Honourable Richard chamber. I remember that we exchanged words on a particular Donahoe practised law in Halifax after graduating from Saint issue upon which we had a difference of opinion and, as we were Mary’s University and Dalhousie University. He spent the rest of walking out, he said, “Al, you sounded great, but what in the his life as a tireless supporter of that former institution. He served name of God did you say?” on the board of governors of Saint Mary’s from 1965 to 1971, and was granted an honourary doctorate of law at the very university that had nurtured his youth, spiritually and When I think of Dick and Eileen today — because this was not academically. only a marriage of love and real devotion but also a powerful political partnership that lasted 63 years, until his death last He was a very prominent member of the Knights of Columbus, week — I think of the dreams and the accomplishments of their having joined that august organization the year that I was born, long life together, of the family they raised, and of the roots they 1932. He dedicated, through that organization, as with all other so deeply nurtured and cherished. It is worthy of note that their organizations with which he associated himself, hours, months two sons went on to distinguish themselves in the life of and years to works of charity, so much so that the Pope conferred Nova Scotia politics — Terry as both Minister of Education and upon him, in 1969, the order Knight of St.