Honoured: First Acadian to hold vice-regal post remembered as extraordinary Canadian

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Rob Linke
Telegraph-Journal

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OTTAWA - MPs from every party paid tribute to Roméo LeBlanc on Wednesday by remembering the former governor general, senator, fisheries minister and MP as an extraordinary Canadian.

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JOHN MAJOR/canwest news service

In this 1999 file photo, then-Governor General Roméo LeBlanc waves from the train to friends and well-wishers as he leaves for New Brunswick from the Ottawa train station.

LeBlanc died in June at his home in Grande-Digue after a long period of failing health. He was 81.

Heritage Minister James Moore said LeBlanc "never forgot his Acadian roots.

"He was a man of great personal character, great decency, dedication and strong loyalty to family, friends and country.

"Community mattered to Roméo LeBlanc."

His creation of the Governor General's Caring Canadians Award was testament to the importance he placed on volunteering and care-giving in strengthening communities, said Moore, who addressed LeBlanc's son Dominic, a Liberal MP, directly.

"To my good friend the member for Beauséjour, I am sorry for your loss," said Moore. "The LeBlanc name will live on with pride in the House of Commons through you."

Liberal Opposition leader Michael Ignatieff called Roméo LeBlanc a "guiding light" for Acadians.

"The bond he formed with everyone on the wharf and in the whole fishing industry is legendary," said Ignatieff.

He promoted education and the cause of improved living conditions for aboriginal Canadians.

"We remember him as a consummate public servant," he said.

"I think anyone who attended the funeral service in that little church in Memramcook will never forget the deep affection and love that was expressed for him by the crowd outside and the crowd inside."

Yvon Godin, the MP for Acadie-Bathurst, spoke for the NDP.

Speaking in French, Godin said it was an honour for him to pay tribute to LeBlanc.

"For people back home and for me, Mr. LeBlanc was a great politician. The work he accomplished profoundly marked New Brunswick, Acadia and indeed all of Canada."

As minister of fisheries, "he made many gains and that's because he was close to the fishermen. He knew them and he knew their concerns."

When he was sworn in as governor general, LeBlanc said that if he was to be remembered for anything, he hoped it would be for encouraging ordinary Canadians and wanting their extraordinary courage to be recognized.

"I think his wish has come true," said Godin.

Michel Guimond spoke for the Bloc Québécois, saying in French that "this summer, Acadia lost one of its great personalities.

"I think he did as much for Acadian culture as some of its greatest names."

Afterwards, Dominic LeBlanc said he found the tributes touching.

"It was nice to see qualities I knew and saw in him often were recognized by my colleagues," he said.

He appreciated, too, that MPs spoke with genuine civility and even affection.

"I've never doubted the ability to have genuine friendships on both sides of the aisle, and frankly when James Moore referred to me as his good friend, that's genuine - I consider James Moore to be a good friend of mine."

MPs, said LeBlanc, hold more in common - "their values and hopes - than what you see in the raucous 35-minute question period."

The previous day in the Senate, senators who knew Roméo LeBlanc personally far better than nearly any MPs spoke shared anecdotes.

Speaker of the Senate Noel Kinsella, a Conservative from Fredericton, reflected on how LeBlanc became a prominent figure in the Acadian revival.

"Throughout his career, Mr. LeBlanc was known for his humility and his endless battle for French language and culture.

"He used his Acadian roots to show that francophones outside Quebec could succeed within Canada, and to show that francophones and anglophones could work together.

Liberal senator Fernand Robichaud recalled that "Roméo loved to meet people.

"He was disarmingly straightforward and got along well with townspeople and city folk, officials and business people, workers and academics. He would offer his friends a bowl of stew he had made or a salad of tomatoes he had grown himself."

Rose-Marie Losier-Cool, who replaced him in the Senate when he was appointed governor general, called him "another powerful symbol of modern Acadia, just like Ti-Louis Robichaud before him."

He "regularly changed titles, offices and residences, but two things remained constant and were admired by all: his big heart and his simplicity."