A farewell to Romeo LeBlanc
Published Saturday July 11th, 2009
Along with a few thousand other people, I had the privilege of attending the state funeral of former Governor General Romeo LeBlanc last week.
Romeo was a teacher, a journalist and press secretary to two prime ministers before he was elected to Parliament in 1972. He had served as Press Secretary to Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson and to Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau. In government, he served under various titles as Minister of Fisheries in three of Trudeau's cabinets, becoming Canada's longest serving minister in this position. It was under his watch that Canada's coastal fishing zone was extended from 12 to 200 miles. He was also responsible for the strong role that Canada played in the Law of the Sea conferences from 1974-1979.
Before, during and after the funeral, hundreds of tributes were paid to the former Governor General, but perhaps the greatest tribute is found in the crowd of more than 2,000 people who traveled to the tiny, picturesque village of Memramcook to pay their respects to Romeo. They came from across Canada to the first state funeral ever held in Atlantic Canada and likely the biggest event ever held in the Village of Memramcook, with the possible exception of the 1999 Francophone Summit. The funeral was attended by national media, it was broadcast nationally by CBC Television and it was sprinkled with familiar faces from academia, business, government, politics and the fishery.
Eulogies were delivered by former Prime Minister Jean Chrétien and Dr. Naomi Griffith, renowned scholar, historian, author and former Dean of Arts at Carleton University in Ottawa, one of the first women in history to hold that post. Especially moving was the stirring tribute paid to Romeo by his son Dominic, Member of Parliament for Beauséjour. Mr. LeBlanc told mourners, packed into Saint-Thomas Church that his father was deeply proud to serve as a federal cabinet minister, Senator and Canada's 25th Governor General. "The country has lost a devoted Canadian who did his best to serve with humility and compassion," he said under the 169-year-old church's domed ceilings.
Dominic LeBlanc, who represents his father's former riding in the House of Commons, also remembered the former Governor General as a devoted family man who put his two children, daughter Geneviève and himself, first.
Romeo LeBlanc was the first Acadian and the first Atlantic Canadian to become Governor General of Canada. He was a man of many achievements but his most important was the fact he never lost sight of who he was or where he came from. He ended his days in Grand Digue just 20 minutes northeast of Memramcook.
Former cabinet minister Marc Lalonde, who recruited Mr. LeBlanc to serve as a press secretary for Prime Minister Lester Pearson in the 1960s, told people his old friend never let Ottawa change him. Hundreds of others would vouch for that statement.
Dignitaries attending the funeral, headed by the LeBlanc family, included the current Governor General Michaelle Jean, Lieutenant-Governor Herménégilde Chiasson, Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Premier Shawn Graham, the Minister of Defence Peter MacKay, and Minister of Veterans Affairs Greg Thompson. Members of Parliament Michael Ignatieff, Brian Murphy from Moncton, the Honorable Bob Rae, Geoff Regan, Scott Brison, Denis Coderre, Ralph Goodale, Michael Savage and Justin Trudeau all paid their respects.
They were joined by former premiers Frank McKenna, Bernard Lord, Camille Theriault and Brian Tobin from Newfoundland and Labrador. Former cabinet ministers included the Honorable David Dingwall, Andre Oulette, David Anderson and Andy Scott.
Provincial cabinet ministers Mike Murphy, Bernard LeBlanc and Ed Doherty were joined by David Alward, leader of the Opposition in New Brunswick, Cy LeBlanc, MLA from Dieppe, Claude Williams, Kent County, Percy Mockler (now a senator), former cabinet minister Omer Leger, prominent businessmen Denis Losier, Jim Irving and Dick Carpenter, former lieutenant-governors Marilyn Trenholme of New Brunswick and Mona Freeman from Nova Scotia, Senators Fernand Robichaud, Al Graham and Joyce Fairburn from Saskatchewan.
Academia was represented by Dr. Donald Savoie, author and holder of the Clément-Cormier Chair in Economic Development at l'Université de Moncton. He was joined by former journalist Claude Bourque, Member of the Order of Canada, and Robert Pichette, author, historian and former Deputy Minister to the late Premier Louis-J. Robichaud.
The most visible dignitary at the funeral was National Chief Phil Fontaine, who attended mass in full headdress. He was joined by a number of First Nation chiefs including Chief Jesse Simon from New Brunswick and Chief Lawrence Paul from Nova Scotia. The fishery was represented by lobster fisherman Ronnie Cormier, former President of the Maritime Fishermen's Union when my brother was Executive Director, and Jim Jones, Director General of Fisheries and Oceans Canada.
Last but not least was a distinguished and esteemed gentleman from Ottawa, Kevin Fram, Executive Assistant to Roméo LeBlanc when he was Governor General and close friend to Dominic LeBlanc.
Romeo will be missed by all of us who knew him.
n W.E. (Bill) Belliveau is a Shediac resident and Moncton business consultant. His column appears on this page every Saturday. He can be contacted at bill.bellstrategic@nb.aibn.com
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