Earlier this month I mentioned the sad death, on this date in 1970, of past House of Commons Speaker Louis-René Beaudoin. He had presided over the Great Pipeline Debate and lost his reputation by doing so, appearing to blatantly side – and change a ruling – with the Liberals. Later, in exile and disgrace, he worked as a bartender in the southern U.S. and died, forgotten, of a heart attack while in a Montreal taxi. His is a tragic tale and a reminder to all in politics of the punishing impacts such a career can have.Because I have already mentioned, in a different context, Speaker Beaudoin’s death a few days back, I want to get ahead of tomorrow’s entries, as February 22 is a particularly rich anniversary date for my fellow political history junkies.
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Speaker Louis-René Beaudoin/caption
February 22, 1976: Joe Clark becomes Leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada
So, of course, I first want to mention that it was on February 22, 1976 that Canada’s Conservatives, at their Ottawa convention, elected Joe Clark, age 36, as their leader. It proved a remarkable rise to national power for Mr. Clark, who had only been elected to the House four-years before, in 1972.
As we all know, Mr. Clark went on to defeat Pierre Trudeau, three-years after his leadership victory and the rest is history. So happy anniversary greetings to Mr. Clark and his family as they recall, tomorrow, this remarkable victory.
Back in 2011, Mr. Clark became the third Prime Minister to plant a tree in my famous garden. He – and his family – have long been supporters of my work in the field of Canadian history and I owe them all a great deal. So a special early anniversary greeting to the 16th Prime Minister from my wife and I. Your tree, Mr. Clark, has flourished.
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Former PM Joe Clark plants a tree in Art Milnes' yard/caption
Arthur Milnes is an accomplished public historian and award-winning journalist. He was research assistant on The Rt. Hon. Brian Mulroney’s best-selling Memoirs and also served as a speechwriter to then-Prime Minister Stephen Harper and as a Fellow of the Queen’s Centre for the Study of Democracy under the leadership of Tom Axworthy. A resident of Kingston, Ontario, Milnes serves as the in-house historian at the 175 year-old Frontenac Club Hotel.
Speaker Louis-René Beaudoin/caption
February 22, 1976: Joe Clark becomes Leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada
So, of course, I first want to mention that it was on February 22, 1976 that Canada’s Conservatives, at their Ottawa convention, elected Joe Clark, age 36, as their leader. It proved a remarkable rise to national power for Mr. Clark, who had only been elected to the House four-years before, in 1972.
As we all know, Mr. Clark went on to defeat Pierre Trudeau, three-years after his leadership victory and the rest is history. So happy anniversary greetings to Mr. Clark and his family as they recall, tomorrow, this remarkable victory.
Back in 2011, Mr. Clark became the third Prime Minister to plant a tree in my famous garden. He – and his family – have long been supporters of my work in the field of Canadian history and I owe them all a great deal. So a special early anniversary greeting to the 16th Prime Minister from my wife and I. Your tree, Mr. Clark, has flourished.
caption id="attachment_541817" align="aligncenter" width="500" Former PM Joe Clark plants a tree in Art Milnes' yard/caption
Arthur Milnes is an accomplished public historian and award-winning journalist. He was research assistant on The Rt. Hon. Brian Mulroney’s best-selling Memoirs and also served as a speechwriter to then-Prime Minister Stephen Harper and as a Fellow of the Queen’s Centre for the Study of Democracy under the leadership of Tom Axworthy. A resident of Kingston, Ontario, Milnes serves as the in-house historian at the 175 year-old Frontenac Club Hotel.Arthur Milnes is an accomplished public historian and award-winning journalist. He was research assistant on The Rt. Hon. Brian Mulroney’s best-selling Memoirs and also served as a speechwriter to then-Prime Minister Stephen Harper and as a Fellow of the Queen’s Centre for the Study of Democracy under the leadership of Tom Axworthy. A resident of Kingston, Ontario, Milnes serves as the in-house historian at the 175 year-old Frontenac Club Hotel.