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Decentralized Democracy

House Hansard - 337

44th Parl. 1st Sess.
September 17, 2024 10:00AM
Context: House Hansard - 337 - Sep/17/24
Ms. Elizabeth May (Saanich—Gulf Islands, GP)
  • Sep/17/24 3:44:35 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I am thankful for all the tributes that have already been made. Your own words were profoundly moving. It is in this place, in moments like these, that we are united with exactly the same sense of shared humanity in paying tribute to someone we universally loved and admired. I know Chuck Strahl to have been, throughout his life, an honest man, doing an honest day's work every single day. His life is a profile in faith and courage. I will never forget how young he was. I think of it now and just checked the dates; he was only 48 years old when he told the world he had mesothelioma, as the hon. member for Windsor West just mentioned, because of an exposure to asbestos. People did not think about its being in the brake lines of the vehicles when he was doing honest work in the forest industry. All those years later, he would be given a sentence from his doctor that would have stopped many people. It did not stop him. He was told at only 48 years old that he had a lung cancer that would kill him. He did not stop. He did not feel sorry for himself. He ran again. He got re-elected in 2006. We have heard from so many members about his achievements in cabinet and his hard work, that I will not repeat them. However, we know that by 2011, he announced he would not run again. That is when I was elected, after he was not here anymore, but we had become friends before that happened. Whenever I would run into him, as we do, those of us who live in B.C. and travel to Ottawa, I would always tell him that he must be so proud of the member for Chilliwack—Hope, and he would always burst with pride. He was so proud. I know how much he loved all of his kids. He always spoke also of Karina, Loni, Kyla and his grandchildren. I thank God he defied the odds to live to the age of 67 to see so many of them. The thing is that I am still angry. I am still angry that this country produced a product that was the single biggest occupational killer, killing hundreds of thousands of people around the world, and this year taking Chuck Strahl from us. I want to salute his profile and courage, because it took courage. He resigned from Parliament. He did not have to put himself out there. He went on national television to say that it was time to say that chrysotile asbestos kills, time to say it out loud and time for Canada to do the right thing. With that, even as Chuck Strahl left politics, he saved lives around the world by speaking truth to power. God bless him. We know he is with a heavenly host. We know that the Lord he loved has welcomed him home. As one of his many colleagues who admired him, I just want to offer my deep thanks. It is people like Chuck who make this place decent. I thank him, and I thank all his family with much love and deepest sympathy.
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Context: House Hansard - 337 - Sep/17/24
Mr. Mark Strahl (Chilliwack—Hope, CPC)
  • Sep/17/24 3:49:03 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, on behalf of my mom, my sisters and our entire family, I want to thank the members of the House of Commons for the opportunity to pay tribute to our dad, Chuck Strahl, a man who held this place in such high regard. These words have honoured him, and we will treasure them forever. It is an odd thing to have to grieve in public, and our family wrestled with how to best honour Dad while protecting some privacy during this most difficult time for us, but we have been overwhelmed by the love and support that we have received from so many people from right across the country, the people Dad was able to connect with because of his decision to be a servant leader in this place. We received calls and notes from former prime ministers, the current Prime Minister and the future prime minister, all of whom were generous and kind in their comments about our dad. We were touched by the public tributes from his former colleagues, staff and public servants. I thank them all. At Dad's funeral, we focused on the things that were most important to him in his life, which were his personal Christian faith, his family and his many meaningful friendships. I do want to focus on his impact in politics in my brief remarks here today. Dad was first elected in 1993 at 36 years old, after a successful career in the logging industry. Eighteen years and six elections later, he left as a respected minister of the Crown, having served as minister of agriculture, of Indian and northern affairs, and of transport. I am not sure how many loggers have served in the House or served in the cabinet, but whether it was in the boardroom or in the bush, Dad was respected for doing the job that needed to be done while respecting those he worked with along the way. He was a movement Conservative, a proud Reformer, who demanded better than the status quo from the old-line parties that had taken the west for granted. He was a builder who took difficult but principled stands and who risked his own career for the good of the movement and the country. He paved the way for Stephen Harper to become the leader of the Canadian Alliance and played a key role in bringing the Canadian Alliance and the Progressive Conservative parties back together to form the new Conservative Party of Canada, a party that would go on to form a new government just a few years later. Appointed to cabinet in 2006, his leadership was critical in laying the groundwork to deliver marketing choice for prairie grain farmers. In 2008, his work with indigenous leaders and communities helped to bring forward the statement of apology to former students of Indian residential schools here in the House of Commons and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission that was created afterward. He participated in many sharing circles during that time and was profoundly moved by that experience. These are just a couple of highlights among many that have been shared in the days since his passing. While many politicians operate in a transactional way, Dad believed in the power of relationships. He created, nurtured and protected them in his personal and professional life. As his cousin said in the days following his death, if one did not like Chuck Strahl, that meant one did not know Chuck Strahl. That was true. He was liked by political friends and foes alike, and he never took himself too seriously. He had a way of connecting with people that should be the envy of politicians everywhere. People felt like they knew Dad, even if they had only had one chance encounter or read his regular newspaper columns, where he always told a personal story and related it back to what was happening here in Ottawa. Even after he became a minister, he never forgot that his primary job was to be his riding's voice in Ottawa, not the other way around. He brought the common sense of the common people to the House of Commons. His constituents loved him for it and he loved them back. He loved his country, and he wore that love on his sleeve. Dad came to Ottawa with a vow that no matter how long his political career was, his family, his faith and his friendships would remain intact. He left Ottawa with a stronger family and a stronger faith. He had not only maintained his existing friendships but also created many new ones during his time here. We should all be so lucky to be able to say the same thing. Our dad was a man of honour, integrity and principle. Canada is better for his service and is diminished by his loss. On behalf of my family, I thank my colleagues for honouring him here today. God bless them all, and God bless Canada.
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