women form at least half of his caucus in the next elec- tion. There is a long list of very strong, well-qualified women on the PC nomination roster.


Carrying on the tradition of strong women in the family are his daughters Quinn, 23, graduating from the Asper School of Business at the University of Man- itoba this year and working as an actuary for Great West Life, and Shawn, who is just 18 and still at the University of Winnipeg, where her parents met 30 years ago. Everyone is the sum total of their experiences, good


and bad. Growing up, it wasn’t hard work or depriva- tion that formed Brian Pallister: it was his height and what he calls his “geekiness”. In Grade 6, he was six feet tall, a foot taller than the average 12-year-old, and his interest in music, math and reading set him apart. “I didn’t have a lot of friends,” he confesses. Early on,


he had to come to terms with being different, and while he was figuring this out he was bullied by his tough, farm schoolmates. Subjected to bullying, some kids be- come shy and withdrawn; Brian became a sports star.


Brian got into politics to make a difference


“Music and exercise became my escape,” he says. For a time as a young adult, he also cultivated a beard and let his hair grow. Graduating from the University of Brandon in 1976,


Brian taught school in Gladstone for a time, taking on what today seems an odd role as the local union rep. In 1979, he went back to university to take a teaching de- gree, although he turned his attention to finances soon after when he started to sell insurance. His return to university marked a way of life that con-


tinues to this day. “I am a lifelong learner,” he says, and he has been taking courses, mostly financial, for the past 20 years. Brian Pallister is a thinker. He is a doer. He grabs life


with both hands and gobbles it up. His intensity can sometimes astonish people. He reads voraciously – right now, mostly politics and books on governance. He has written financial columns. He has sung at weddings – many, many of them. He studied poetry as a kid. He says he got into politics to make a difference, stimulated by the payroll tax bill and because as a small businessman and a member of the chamber of com-


merce, he believed in fair taxes and fair regulation, two issues he felt were being abused. He got elected to the Manitoba legislature in 1992


when Ed Connery stepped down. He ran against Joe Clark in Joe’s second bid for the leadership of the feder- al Progressive Conservative Party in 1998. He was later elected an MP, in 2000, serving through the tumultu- ous years of the Reform-Alliance-Conservative party battles. He served first as a Progressive Conservative and later as an Alliance member and then as a Conser- vative member after the merger. Throughout his political lifespan, Brian Pallister was


an active and sometimes controversial member. His forte was always in the financial realm, although he was once ruled out of order in the House of Commons for singing a parody of Pink Floyd’s “Another Brick in the Wall, Part Two”, having adjusted the lyrics to attack the spending habits of cabinet minister David Dingwall and the Liberal Party. He is sometimes unorthodox, and although he is a conservative, he says he is not a “blue-blood” conserva- tive. He may be referring to the fact that his grandfather was a Douglas Campbell liberal. (Doug Campbell told the writer that he was “never a Liberal”. He governed as a member of the Progressive Party of Manitoba and in his later life was involved with the Confederations of Regions Party, the Reform Party and Sid Green’s Progressive Party). Perhaps, as with his grandfather, there is a streak of


the original thinker in Brian. That is not a bad trait for a leader in a province which is desperately looking for new ideas. Brian himself fell in love with PC chief Rob- ert Stanfield when his 4-H leader took him to his first political debate. Brian calls himself a professionally trained planner,


but he admits that “people don’t follow plans, they fol- low visions”. His vision is for a Manitoba where ex- cellence, as in always being the best you can be, is re- warded. He doesn’t understand the rush to the middle, to mediocrity. His vision includes a caring society, where people look after each other, offering a helping hand up rather than a demeaning hand out. He believes that Manitobans epitomize that kind of society, and he says that helping is not just about spending, “It’s about mak- ing sure that the spending actually works.“ Brian has tremendous pride in province. “Manitoba


is unique,” he says, citing the energy and creativity of our people, the way we work together, the tremendous resources. “We are a microcosm of Canada and we offer endless opportunities.”


It hurts him that we have such a national black eye in Canada right now, with the media painting us as racists. “Racism is there,” he says, “but if anyone can rise to the challenge of overcoming it, we can in Mani- toba.” He resents Winnipeg being called the poverty capi-


tal. “All great cities attract people coming for opportu- nity and that creates pockets of poverty as they adjust. But the opportunity is here and that’s why they come.”


‘Opportunity is here. That’s why people come.’


He thinks the PCs have to reach out to newcomers, to women, to urban dwellers. Brian believes that leadership is about empower-


ment. If we create the right environment, Manitobans will respond with the vigour and creative leadership they have always shown. With that, we can move ahead and return to being first, instead of dead last on so many lists, including education and health waiting times. He doesn’t understand why government would want


to be in competition with non-profit organizations that do so much good in the city and the province, cit- ing the troubles encountered by the Osborne Women’s Centre and the Manitoba Jockey Club in dealing with the current NDP government. He is eager to hear what people think and he quickly links what he hears to his endless supply of anecdotes. A natural raconteur, he has the rural Manitoba flair for a good story well told. As Brian talks, you can see him winding up. His eyes sparkle. He flashes a natural grin. His excitement is contagious. Talking about what Manitoba could and will be if his PCs win the next election clearly moves him.


Known as ‘Pally’ to his friends, Brian Pallister is gregarious and focused. His early childhood has had a profound effect on his character today. Moving from the angry-young-man stage into the thoughtful, self- aware person he has become is a journey that many never make. And he is determined to keep getting bet- ter.


“You never stop growing,” he says. “If you stop growing, you start dying.” Brian Pallister hopes to take that energy to the top job on Broadway next year. Meanwhile, he intends to continue to grow.


A remarkable friendship born of war I


n the month of May the people of many nations stopped to celebrate and mark VE Day’s 70th anniver-


sary. The parades throughout Europe were joyous and filled with gratitude. The British always seem to have most pomp and circumstance celebrations, and the French seemed to love celebrating. However, for many Ca- nadian’s, I think the most moving celebration was in the Netherlands. We saw on our TVs the few re- maining Canadians of the forces that liberated the Dutch and the few Dutch that once again remem- ber saying thank you. We heard that this is likely the last journey back that they will take. The images we saw did not have the


In fact, I’d say other than the love of freedom there wasn’t much in common between the two nations. It is amazing to me how terrible events


can bring together two nations at op- posite ends of the world who do not have histori- cal ties. Princess Beatrice was born in Canada when the Dutch royal family was forced to flee. They came to Canada and the Ottawa hospital was de- clared Dutch territory for the birth.


We saw many Cana-


Steven Fletcher Taking Note


fancy military equipment but simply Ca- nadian veterans in Second World War vintage vehicles shaking hands, hug- ging and kissing the people they liber- ated and their offspring. The simplicity of the thank you highlights the genuine and long lasting appreciation of the vet- erans. The bond between the Dutch and the Canucks will last a thousand years. Before the Second World War, Canadi- ans and the Dutch people were friendly, of course, but it was like any other rela- tionship Canada had with other nations.


June 2015


dians killed or wounded in the liberation, just as we saw the starvation, cruelty and unspeakable horrors the Nazi inflect- ed on the innocent na- tions overseas. Every five


years since 1985, the Netherlands has celebrated their liberation alongside Ca- nadians. What I find beautiful about our relationship is we both receive so much joy in the thank you. Canadians tend not to celebrate them-


selves, and to see another nation cel- ebrate us can only increase our admira- tion for the Dutch citizens for what they had to experience and the graciousness of their recovery. The spring tulip festi- val in Ottawa is another reminder of the beautiful relationship between our two nations.


www.lifestyles55.net 5


In early May, I watched the 100th anniversary ceremony in Turkey of the battle of Gallipoli. I found it on the BBC channel live. Did you know that the Dominion of Newfoundland sent thousands of troops? British, Australian, New Zealand and Turkish representa- tives each offered their respects to every- one who was lost.


The ceremony is a reminder that no


matter how bitter the foe, time can heal, and the foe can become friends. The Turkish government did an outstanding job in hosting that remembrance cer- emony. The next big celebration will be the


70th anniversary of Victory over Japan Day. There is not enough space in this column to properly recognize the price


paid by the victims to the Japanese ag- gression On VJ Day, let’s remember the Winnipeg Grenadiers and the Royal Rifles of Canada. Together these two battalions fought for 18 days. I urge you to take the time to read the historical ac- counts of those who bravely fought and eventually became prisoners of war. VJ Day is every bit as profound as VE


Day because, while s VE Day shaped today’s Europe, VJ Day shaped today's Asia and Oceania.


I encourage the readers of this column


to participate in remembrance services and share with younger generations the sacrifices that have been made for them and the lessons learned.


Hon. Steven Fletcher is MP for St. James- Charleswood-Assiniboia-Charleswood.


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