Manitoba premier Gary Filmon and Prime Minister Brian Mulroney on Dec. 4, 1992. (TIM KROCHAK/Winnipeg Sun)
Tim Krochak
After reading my piece in the June 7 edition of the Winnipeg Sun about how Mr. Carney yells at his MPs and “punches down” at them, former MP Robert Falcon Oullette wrote to ask me what it was like when Brian Mulroney was prime minster. It was very different.
Picture the Railway Committee Room in the old House of Commons, the largest room on the main floor, the same room the Conservative Caucus was meeting in when the infamous gun incident occurred during Stephen Harper’s tenure. Every Wednesday morning the room was filled with members of both the Senate and the House of Commons. Staff were banished to the ante room with the doors closed.
The large Quebec caucus filled several rows pm the left side of the room in front of the podium beside the head table. On the right side of the room the rest of us were scattered according to preference. I always sat in the front row as has always been my habit in school and in meetings.
The were floor mikes on both sides of the room so that members could ask questions or make statements on the issues of the day or anything that was bothering them.
At the front of the room sat the Prime Minister, flanked by the chair of the caucus, Bob Layton ( the father of Jack Layton who would later lead the NDP), the House leader and the Deputy Leader. Perhaps a minister with an important bill or issue to present would also be seated there. As the business on the day was being conducted, the Prime Minister would listen, make notes, listening to the odd member who would come forward to whisper in his ear. Then the members would have their chance, and it was always a lively discussion from the both the Francophone and the Anglo sides. Members felt free to say what they thought and they certainly did!
Brian would listen, continue making notes, and wait until all had had their say. Then he would speak. He would calm the anxious Francophones, making them laugh and nod. He would then refer to each of the other interventions, commenting with more information and occasionally instructing a minister to look into the issue on behalf of the member.
He would often then entertain us with inside information, some of it serious, some of it amusing such as when the new Russian President Boris Yeltsin visited in 1992. As they drove to the airport for his departure, Brian asked the president what he thought of Ottawa. Yeltsin said he thought it was wonderful, but he was curious about just one thing, “Why,” he said, “Do you allow all those prostitutes to hang around your entrance doors smoking?”
We all roared with laughter, of course. The “prostitutes” were staffers going out for a smoke.
Brian had an amazing vocabulary that was very natural to him – there was no showing off, he just loved words. He is the only person I ever met who used the word “poltroon” in a sentence in reference to some scurrilous leader or another.
Did he shout at his caucus or “punch down”? Unthinkable! He was thoughtful and very kind to his members. If one was ill, having political or personal trouble, he or she would get a phone call from him, his deep, warm voice reassuring us that everything would be all right, that we had all been through these things, and that we would recover.
Brian Mulroney was the kind of leader who had no need to be a jerk with his people. He had the power and knew how to use it and we all respected that. Periodically he would call a retreat where we could all get together and just be us. There would be silly skits (thank you Pauline Browse) and serious discussions, but it was time to bond, to laugh and to sing together. Remember how Brian loved to sing?
Christmas dinner was always celebrated in the beautifully decorated Hall of Honours. Up in the galleries, a choir would sing and play carols. At one point or another, Brian would be prevailed upon to personally sing to us. I particularly remember his rendition of Paper Dolly, a favourite of my dad’s.
In those days, the Opposition was often alerted to unexpected events that would require responses in question period. Laughter was often heard in the House along with the usual healthy heckling as some clever Opposition MP or minister would find a way to put a question or answer in a humorous way.
Was it all roses and laughter? Of course not. There were many tough days, and we took our share of shots and angry attacks from the other side, some fair and many not fair – at least to our lights. But neither was it all bitterness and vitriol. Sometimes even the protests were funny. One memorable event was when a gang of gallery visitors rained rolls of toilet paper down on the head of government members.
Question Period was not about shouting facetious nonanswers to the questions. Often I was the member called upon to respond. I had to learn to provide information without getting the government into hot water. We were not scripted. You were supposed to know your files.
Mr. Carney is very new with only one year under his belt and no previous political experience, but although he is a quick study, he has not yet grasped the concept that he is the servant, not the master of the Government, Parliament or his own members. Being leader means knowing how to lead without bullying, yelling or “punching down”.
The job is tough enough for all sides without that.
—Dorothy Dobbie is a Manitoba businesswoman and former politician. She served in the House of Commons of Canada from 1988 to 1993, as a Progressive Conservative Member of Parliament (MP) for the riding of Winnipeg South, and she is a guest columnist for Klein Media.