Mr. Speaker, if you seek it, you will find unanimous consent to allow members to make statements in remembrance of the late Mr. Jim Henderson, with five minutes allotted to His Majesty’s government, five minutes allotted to His Majesty’s loyal opposition, and five minutes allotted to the independent members as a group.

Thank you very much, Speaker. What an honour it is to speak today.

I rise and pay tribute to the former member of provincial Parliament for Etobicoke–Humber, Dr. D. James Henderson, someone whose dedication to his constituents and to Ontario was manifest in the three terms he served in this place, from 1985 to 1995.

Let’s all once again acknowledge Jim’s wife, Karen; his three sons, James, Christopher and Kevin; his two granddaughters, Iris and Emma; and Kevin’s partner, Kathy. Let’s also give a warm welcome to David Warner, former Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, who is here with us today. Welcome.

A long time ago, George Bernard Shaw committed these words to posterity: “Some see things as they are, and say, ‘Why?’ I dream things that never were, and say, ‘Why not?’” This could equally be a commemoration of Jim Henderson. He didn’t need politics as a vocation—not for ego, not for acclaim, not for power. He had too many other talents and accomplishments for that. No, he sought a time in politics because he thought he could serve Ontario in a different and equally constructive and imaginative way. And that may be the one reason why Jim was legendary in our business—one which is noted for our high staff turnover—for loyalty and continuity. Many served Jim for years, and they served him well.

D. James Henderson was born in Sudbury on August 7, 1940. His family moved to Toronto in the early 1940s, where he resided for most of his life.

I imagine he was what we would call today a polymath, defined as someone of wide-ranging knowledge and interests. He was a physician, a psychiatrist, a psychoanalyst and an associate professor of these disciplines, all before he entered politics, after which he became a parliamentary assistant in multiple portfolios, an opposition critic and a crusading reformer on issues related to public health, culture and communications, and the welfare of children.

Dr. Henderson’s contributions to academia included the authoring of more than 50 papers and textbook contributions. He was fluent in Spanish too. Dr. Henderson’s passion for his work led him to lecture at the University of Havana, where he assisted with the reintroduction of the study and practice of psychoanalysis in Cuba. No wonder Jim spoke with such eloquence and thoughtfulness in this place.

To highlight, I’d like to share a small portion of his remarks, spoken here on November 19, 1987, in relation to the North American Free Trade Agreement: “We can preserve our culture and our sovereignty, for Canadians have never shown a deficit of patriotism. Our patriotic fervour, though strong, is of a quieter sort, that we reach down for and find with little difficulty when occasions warrant.”

As noted, Jim cultivated a special interest in developing countries in the Caribbean, organizing and leading trade and medical delegations there.

He enjoyed a love of wilderness and outdoors, serving for several years in his teens and twenties as an outdoor trip canoe guide at Camp Ahmek in Algonquin Park and at Camp Temagami in northern Ontario.

Jim was an MPP of conviction. He drew strength from his strong Catholic faith, and he believed in liberty and championed the principles of democracy. He faithfully and consistently spoke up for his constituents, as we are all called to do. But he always did it with complete independence of thought. He defied his own government on both extra-billing for physicians—an incendiary issue of the day—and on the Meech Lake Accord, which he felt in his bones was wrong for Canada. Maybe that’s why I’m told on good authority that, when he won his seat against all odds in 1985, he was overheard to say, “Well, there goes my” blank “life.”

On behalf of the PC caucus, we thank his family and his friends for sharing him with the people of Ontario for so many years, and we give thanks for the life of Dr. D. James Henderson. Thank you.

I am honoured to rise today and pay tribute to the late Dr. Donald James Henderson, better known as Jim Henderson, who served as the Liberal MPP for the riding of Humber, later renamed Etobicoke–Humber, for three terms ranging from 1985 to 1995. He served as the parliamentary assistant to the Ministers of Community and Social Services, Colleges and Universities and for the province’s anti-drug strategy, and then as the official opposition critic for culture and communications.

As a medical doctor and psychiatrist, he worked in the medical field before and after his terms in office, holding various positions, ranging from being a director to an associate professor, to organizing and leading trade and medical delegations in developing countries. In fact, when you see his name formally written, it is buried in a sea of degrees and designations.

Born in Sudbury in 1940, he spent the majority of his life in Etobicoke. However, he never lost his love and affinity for northern Ontario. It is impossible to summarize the life of anyone, much less someone as accomplished as Dr. Henderson, within a few minutes. So all I can do is merely scratch the surface here today. And while I never had the honour to know him, it is an honour to have learned about his life and to speak about him here.

Dr. Henderson was an academic and medical doctor with a conviction and an adventurous spirit which never dimmed but, I would argue, only grew stronger in the later part of his life. He had an active and brilliant mind. A medically trained doctor and psychiatrist, Dr. Henderson had a natural talent and understanding of human behaviour, which he drew upon throughout his political career.

He often relied on his knowledge of human behaviour and used this frequently in debate. “If psychology teaches us nothing else in politics, it teaches us that no group in society is likely to contribute to its fullest if it feels its collective needs, feelings, views and expertise to be unattended or ignored.” He spoke about the importance of the parent-child bond on a biological and psychological level and went on to quote an interesting study that showed that “nurturance and bonding are as fundamental ingredients to human growth and development as are any physical, nutritional or other amenities that we can offer to our children.”

Another interesting debate centred on whether to televise the House proceedings, and Dr. Henderson spoke strongly in favour of televising our proceedings in the Legislature because he believed that it “is in line with our philosophy of democratic government and will strengthen and promote a sense of participation by the people in the affairs of the state” and that “it is desirable for the health and responsiveness of good government....”

He was innovative. For instance, he diverted used public transit buses that were at the end of their service life and headed to the scrapyard and ensured that they were donated and sent abroad, where they continued to run for years in places like the streets of Havana. As well, he arranged for hundreds of boxes of prescription drugs that Ontario hospitals had no use for to be donated and sent abroad, and much more.

After his career in politics ended, he maintained his interest in international development, including teaching himself Spanish to such a high degree of fluency that he became a guest lecturer at the University of Havana, where he reintroduced the country to psychoanalysis.

Dr. Henderson loved the outdoors. He had a love of the outdoors and wrote about his deep and long-standing attachment to Ontario’s north. He recalled visiting the Sleeping Giant and Silver Islet.

His father was a general manager of a hardware store and would occasionally take him along on business trips in northern Ontario, including Thunder Bay. He once shared details of a fishing trip near Red Rock, where he didn’t catch a single fish, but the “majesty of North Superior was forever imprinted on his mind.”

Dr. Henderson was a man of conviction. He believed that MPPs should have more freedom to vote their conscience as opposed to always falling in line with their party. He was quoted as saying that MPPs’ “first role is to represent the views of their constituents,” even if those views sometimes violate party policies. Best summarized in his own words, he said, “Personal liberty is not just a slogan. I speak of personal liberty because it means a lot to me. As a practising physician and counsellor I devoted myself to helping people liberate themselves from a tyranny from within—the tyranny of neurotic conflict and suffering. I cannot support legislative measures that compromise personal liberty from without. To me freedom is not negotiable.”

Dr. Henderson had the respect of all sides of the House and developed lifelong friendships such as that with NDP MPP and Speaker David Warner, who is here with us today.

Jim was truly a loving family man and dear friend to many.

He is survived by his wife, Karen; his children, James, Chris and Kevin; his grandchildren, Iris and Emma; his sister, Carol; and his nieces and nephews, Bob, Jane, Ann, Bill, Sandy and Tracey.

Again, I welcome and thank his wonderful family and friends who are here with us today.

I had the pleasure to speak with Chris, who spoke of Jim as a young father when he entered politics, having sons aged two to six years old. I can certainly relate to this. In 1985, when his father, Jim, was the parliamentary assistant to the Minister of Community and Social Services, Chris remembered being brought to his dad’s office. As a five-year-old, he joyfully ran up and down the halls and unfortunately discovered a bunch of ink stamps and pads. I will not relay the chaos that ensued at that time. Almost 20 years later, in 2004, Chris returned to Queen’s Park as an intern in that very same office, where he walked rather than ran the halls and was much more subdued in his use of ink.

Jim lives on in his immortalized words in the Hansard and the results of his work under the many hats he wore throughout his life. But most of all, he lives on in the lives and memories of his loving and proud family and all who had the pleasure of knowing him.

The member for Barrie–Innisfil is seeking the unanimous consent of the House to allow members to make statements in remembrance of the late Mr. Jim Henderson, with five minutes allotted to His Majesty’s government, five minutes allotted to His Majesty’s loyal opposition, and five minutes allotted to the independent members as a group. Agreed? Agreed.

Today we are honoured to remember and pay tribute to a former member of our provincial Legislature, the late Mr. Jim Henderson, who was the MPP for Humber during the 33rd Parliament and for Etobicoke–Humber during the 34th and 35th Parliaments.

Joining us in the Speaker’s gallery are Mr. Henderson’s family and friends: his wife, Karen Henderson; his sons, James Henderson, Christopher Henderson and Kevin Henderson; his son’s partner, Kathy Borzecka; and his grandchildren, Iris Henderson and Emma Mackay. Also with us in the Speaker’s gallery this afternoon is Mr. David Warner, Speaker during the 35th Parliament.

I recognize the member for Etobicoke–Lakeshore.

It is truly a privilege to stand here today to say a few words of tribute to Jim Henderson, the Liberal MPP for Etobicoke–Humber from 1985 to 1995, who died on May 2, 2020, at the age of 79. I know you will feel his loss still today.

I would like to extend a personal welcome to his family here today: as has been mentioned, his wife, Karen; his sons, James, Christopher and Kevin; his daughter-in-law, Kathy; and his young granddaughters, Iris and Emma. David Warner, Mr. Henderson’s friend and former Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, is also present here today. Thank you all for coming today, and for the earlier visit in September when this event was postponed out of respect for the passing of the Queen.

While I did not know Dr. Henderson personally, I recall reading about the stir he caused on several occasions when he stood up for what he believed in this House.

Between 1985 and 1995, Dr. Henderson served as a Liberal member of provincial Parliament for Etobicoke–Humber for three terms. In addition to being the official opposition critic for culture and communications, he was the parliamentary assistant to the Ministers of Community and Social Services, Colleges and Universities, as well as for the province’s anti-drug strategy.

Jim was a strong leader who understood his community and was a supportive colleague to his team in the Ontario Liberal Party. Jim’s kindness and devotion to his colleagues and constituents was evident in all his work.

As has been mentioned, Jim was known for standing true to his values. He was a man who did not shy away from asking the tough questions in search of what he believed to be right. He notably took a position that was not supported by his party, because he believed in upholding his own principles and values. As many of us in this House know, that can be a difficult decision to make, but that kind of open conversation is the kind we need in order to ensure that we as representatives of our constituents are making the best decisions on their behalf, and Jim understood that well.

Jim moved from Sudbury to Toronto in the 1940s, where he spent a majority of his life and brought a remarkable amount of value to the House and the community of Toronto.

During and after his political career, Jim was a medical doctor who worked as a psychiatrist and psychoanalyst. He was the director of psychiatry at the former Lakeshore Psychiatric Hospital, then the director of psychiatric services at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Barrie. Jim was also an associate professor at the University of Toronto department of psychiatry and psychiatrist-in-chief at the University of Toronto student health service. I’m not sure how he found time for any of his other hobbies.

Jim authored and published over 50 professional papers and textbook contributions.

He was also an outdoorsman and an avid fan of the canoe. He served several years as a canoe guide at Camp Ahmek in Algonquin Park and then Camp Temagami in northern Ontario.

Much like his medical career, his devotion to public service stemmed from a core value: Jim cared about people. He cared about his friends, his family, his constituents, his patients, his neighbours and indeed his province. A career in medicine requires dedication, focus and hard work. When you add in the responsibility of representing those around you with that same dedication, you know that Jim Henderson was a very special person indeed.

In addition to a remarkable career as a physician, politician and canoeist, Dr. Henderson was also an avid jogger, sailor, traveller and photographer.

There is no doubt that Dr. Henderson lived a life of commitment to his family, his values, his constituency, his province and his country, and with this, his well-earned legacy will continue to live on.

Applause.