POLITICAL PASSAGES


Guy Marcoux.


Hon. Reg Alcock.


Hon. Barney Danson.


Jean Casselman Wadds.


ing politics in 1962 for the riding of Quebec-Montmorency. During his time in Parliament, he concentrated on drug and health policy, serving on several standing committees. He returned to his practice as a physi-


cian in 1965. As a doctor, he was cred- ited with innovative treatments for drug and alcohol addictions. Marcoux is pre-deceased by his wife


Jeanne-d’Arc Lortie. He leaves behind his three children, Paul, Lucie and Yves, and many grandchildren. Hon. Reg Alcock


Former Prime Minister Paul Martin


bestowed the Hon. Reg Alcock with the highest tribute at his funeral in Winnipeg on Oct. 21. He gave the for- mer Liberal MP the Canadian flag. Alcock passed away suddenly on Oct.


14, 2011 from a heart attack. He was 63.


Alcock was the Member of Parliament


for the Winnipeg South riding from 1993-2006, when he ended a three-year term as President of the Treasury Board. His political career began in 1988 when he was elected to the Manitoba Legisla- ture. After he retired from politics, Al- cock worked at the University of Mani- toba as the executive-in-residence at the Asper School of Business and was also associate dean at the school. At his funeral in October, Alcock was


remembered as a compassionate person with a big heart who had a great sense of humour. “He was a remarkable guy. He had


a great gusto, a great sense of life and a great sense of people,” said Liberal Leader Bob Rae at the funeral. “He’s


Beyond the Hill • Winter 2012


going to be really, really missed.” He is survived by his wife Karen, his


children Sarah, Matthew and Christina, and his sisters Joan Anderton and Bev- erley Verkouteren. Hon. Barnett J. (Barney) Danson After a career giving tribute to Cana-


dian soldiers, the Hon. Barney Danson, a veteran and a politician, passed away on Oct. 17, 2011 in Toronto. He was 90.


Danson served during the Second


World War on the battlefields of Nor- mandy, where he not only lost sight in one eye, but also his four best friends. “Many of the things from my military


experience were invaluable in shaping the rest of my life,” he said in a 2002 interview. After the war, he returned to his fam-


ily’s insurance business and started his own plastics company. But in 1968 he won the Toronto riding of York North and joined former Prime Minister Pierre Elliot Trudeau’s cabinet. He became the Minister of Urban Affairs in 1974 and was later Minister of Defense until his defeat in 1979. He was one of the last defense ministers with military service. Danson played a huge role in the plans


for the new Canadian War Museum. His philanthropic work included involve- ment with the Canadian Institute for the Blind and he was also co-founder of the youth program Katimavik. In a statement, Canadian War Mu-


seum CEO Mark O’Neil said, “Mr. Danson’s energetic dedication to the creation of a new Canadian War Muse- um was based, in part, on his desire to memorialize the brave Canadians who


died in war… Mr. Danson was an in- spiration to me, and I often sought his sage advice.” Danson and his wife Isobel had four


children, Kenneth, John, Timothy and Peter, and 10 grandchildren. Jean Casselman Wadds


A female icon in Canadian politics


passed away on Nov. 25, 2011 at the age of 91. Jean Casselman Wadds died at her home on the banks of the St. Lawrence in Prescott, Ont. Wadds achieved many firsts in Cana-


dian politics as a female politician. She was the third woman to be elected to the House of Commons when she filled her husband’s seat after his death in 1958. Azra Casselman was elected in 1921 and held the Progressive Conser- vative seat until his death. Wadds joined her father in the House


of Commons, the Hon. Earl Rowe, making them the first father-daughter team in Canadian politics. She was also the first female parliamentary secretary, serving as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Health and Welfare. Wadds held the seat for 10 years


and in 1961 became the first wom- an appointed to the UN by the Ca- nadian government. But her greatest accomplishment happened in 1979, when she became the first woman ap- pointed to the High Commission of Great Britain. Here, she helped bring constitutional reform into fruition. She received the Order of Canada in 1982. Wadds is survived by her two daughters, Nancy and Clair, and her extended family.


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