Tribute to The Late Honourable Hugh Segal, C.M.
Senator Hugh Segal was a man of character. He was always fighting for the causes that mattered: the military, the Commonwealth, guaranteed annual income and always for Canadians in need. But as Hugh would describe it, he was simply a Conservative who believed in self-reliance and in that shared sense of obligation we have to one another. His kindness meant he always found a way to support you, even if he doubted your strategy or disagreed with your intent, and he would use his sense of humour and infectious laugh to bridge moments of real difference.
Our friendship of more than 40 years began on the set of “Canada AM” every Thursday morning. The panel was partisan, but never personal. It was a time when friendships mattered more than political allegiance, and Hugh always tried to convince with a better idea, not a louder voice.
He charted a fascinating life course. He was a candidate, an ad man, a progressive, a conservative. He was in the back rooms and at the meeting tables. He was an author, a policy wonk and an academic.
And I know he would be appalled to be seeing what is happening on our university campuses and our streets, and the ill-informed hate that pervades. Hugh was a teacher, and he knew the importance of bringing facts to the fore. I wish he was here to help us through these troubling times to right the balance when this country needs it most.
He believed in a country that must offer freedom from fear as well as freedom from want, and that we must harness the tools necessary to protect those freedoms.
He was also a believer in market freedoms and free speech, provided there was respect for those with whom you disagreed because rights come with responsibility.
During the so-called Senate crisis, Hugh’s interventions were powerful, and, personally, I am beyond grateful for his guidance. I am wearing the pin bequeathed to me that he wore when he delivered his farewell speech on the true role of the Upper Chamber. Sober second thought, sound judgment, reflective of the people we serve in our provinces and, above all, to champion the central and indisputable importance of the rule of law, due process and the presumption of innocence as cornerstones of our democracy. Simply put: Hugh believed in justice.
A final word today about his family: I want to thank Donna for sharing Hugh with us as much as she did. She was always the steady hand and the guiding light. And their daughter, Jacqueline, who at her recent wedding to Teaghan — it was beautiful — proved through her eloquent words that she is truly the combined DNA of passion and reason.
We are all wiser for having Hugh in our lives. He challenged us to take our citizenship more seriously, and his legacy will always be that we should expect more of ourselves and be better than we sometimes act. We will try, my friend. We will try.