EDITORIAL: The people's governor general (01/05/03)

EDITORIAL

The people's governor general

The grandson of illiterate Ukrainians who settled in Saskatchewan near the turn of the last century, Ray Hnatyshyn enjoyed the type of life most immigrants and the generations that follow them dream about.

A university graduate who practiced and taught law, he became a popular politician and ended up becoming the country's top lawyer as attorney general before serving as Canada's de facto head of state.

Despite his enormous accomplishments, he always remained modest and accessible, which earned him huge admiration. And beyond the trappings of power and the vice-regal nature of his governor general's duties, he was always quick with a quip, often at his own expense, which earned him great affection.

For the million or so Canadians who trace their descent to Ukraine, he was a source of pride and inspiration, and, as Ukrainian Canadian Congress President Eugene Czolij suggested, embodied "the promise and the reality of Canadian multiculturalism."

Building on the tradition of his parents, John - Canada's first and so far only Ukrainian-born senator - and Helen, who were both active in Saskatchewan's Ukrainian community, Mr. Hnatyshyn was always available to lend his support to events and organizations within the community.

A year after becoming Canada's 24th governor general, he participated in the centennial celebrations of Ukrainian settlement in Canada in 1991 and, a year later, became the first Western leader to visit the then newly independent Ukraine with a much-celebrated stop at his father's birthplace in Bukovyna, western Ukraine.

In 1993 he became patron of the Chair of Ukrainian Studies at the University of Ottawa and remained active in that role until his untimely death on December 18.

For the community at large, a man of his stature and family background brought a certain Kennedy-esque star appeal - but without the distance and mystique that often comes with such celebrity.

And though we embraced him as one of ours, Ray Hnatyshyn was unquestionably a man of all people who brought great dignity to everything he did and everyone he met.

Though a Conservative federal politician for 14 years, Mr. Hnatyshyn put principle and people ahead of partisanship. In 1976, two years after first being elected a Member of Parliament from his hometown of Saskatoon, he broke ranks with the late John Diefenbaker, a former Tory prime minister and friend of the Hnatyshyn family, and voted with the Liberal government of the day to abolish the death penalty for civilians under the Canadian Criminal Code.

Eight years later, when the Conservatives won the federal election with a landslide majority, Mr. Hnatyshyn entered the Cabinet in arguably the most political of positions as government leader in the House of Commons. But he never let the serious affairs of state interfere with his personal relationships and remained "a guy everybody loved," according to Sheila Copps, who faced him as an opposition Liberal MP and now serves as minister of Canadian heritage.

Mr. Hnatyshyn carried his down-to-earth manner with him to Rideau Hall, the governor general's official residence in Ottawa, which he occupied from 1990 to 1995. Not long after being sworn into office on January 29, 1990, he opened the grounds of the 120-acre property, which had been closed to the public by his predecessor. Like any new kid on the block, Mr. Hnatyshyn also sought to build a good rapport with his neighbors and invited about 400 of them over for coffee, to share stories with them and give everyone present a taste of the hearty laughter of Queen Elizabeth II's representative in Canada.

His death, at the age of 68, came far too soon for someone of his eternally kind-hearted and affable manner, but his departure reflected the complex accomplishments of an essentially uncomplicated man.

Canadian flags stood at half-staff on federal government buildings across the country. An honor guard composed of members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, who protected him as governor general, and of the Canadian Armed Forces, for whom he served as commander-in-chief, paid tribute to him at his passing.

However, Mr. Hnatyshyn's state funeral at Ottawa's Anglican cathedral had more of a personal touch and followed the rites of his Ukrainian Orthodox faith.

Ramon (Ray) Hnatyshyn was a man for all seasons.

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