One of Canada's most significant Prime Ministers, Lester B. Pearson, passed into history 50 years-ago today in Ottawa. A diplomat, scholar and winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, the 14th Prime Minister's policies like Medicare and the Canada Pension Plan continue to help define Canada. His remarkable legacy is even more pronounced when you consider that his Premiership of five years came about during minority Parliaments the entire time.
To commemorate this anniversary, I turned to a fellow Kingstonian, my close friend, Hugh Mackenzie. Fifty-years ago today, as a young man, he attended Mike Parson's laying-in-state and funeral in Ottawa. Hugh, 65, is the retiring General Manager at Kingston Destination Group, a leading tourism operator. As a young photojournalist, he won a National Newspaper Award for Feature Photography, 1978.
His essay is below.
Four Prime Ministers and a Funeral
By Hugh Mackenzie
My grandmother needed an escort to attend the funeral of Lester B. I was fifteen and chosen by my family to accompany her to this state occasion.
Our connection to the late Prime Minister was my aunt Landon Mackenzie's marriage to Geoffrey Pearson, the late Prime Minister's son.
What a privilege.
I have four distinct recollections of the events that centre on glimpses I had of four Prime Ministers during the events.
It was late December. It was cold, wet and white. Typical dreary Ottawa with winter rain.
My contemporary cousins flew in from Vancouver and were guests at Rideau Gate, the official guest house for special dignitaries visiting Canada's capital.
My first official duty was accompanying granny to the lying-in state in the Hall of Honour in Centre Block. From my vantage point standing with Granny and my cousins, I saw Edward Heath, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, silent and looking sombre from across the flag draped coffin.
At a reception at Rideau Hall afterwards, relieved of duties and wandering around the place incognito, I came down a stairway and found myself beside a solitary figure. His name was Pierre Trudeau. I was stunned as he seemed short and diminutive.
The funeral was held at the Anglican Cathedral. One would think that the most vivid of my youthful memories would be the escort horses and the pall bearers with Mr. Pearson's casket on their shoulders. My greatest recollection, however, comes from a moment after the service. I looked back toward the steps of the church there was a tall, gaunt, yet still imposing figure standing all alone. It was Mr. Diefenbaker, the great rival of Mr. Pearson's. At that moment he seemed to me forlorn and reflective. I saw it as a sign of great respect.
The 14th Prime Minister, was of course my cousin's grandfather. My memory might boast that I met him on a visit to his office once, accompanied by my cousin Anne, but that is probably fanciful as I was very young at the time.
But the resonate image I have from the events was the burial, which I did not attend.
Mr. Pearson chose to be buried in the Gatineau hills. He had first appreciated the scenery, years before, while hiking there with colleagues from the Department of External Affairs. Aunt Landon said he had always appreciated the symbolism of his final resting place in Quebec. The famous picture by Peter Bregg of the flag draped casket held aloft by RCMP pallbearers, followed in the snow by my cousins is so emotive, even now, 50 years later.
Thank you, Granny, Alice Beirne Sawtelle, for the honour of accompanying you to Ottawa so long ago. And, thank you, Mr. Pearson, for your service to Canada.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.