Former Senator Len Marchand-First Aborignal Elected to Parliment Passes at 82

[nucklehead]

http://cfjctoday.com/article/528559/len-marchand-former-senator-and-liberal-mp-passes-away

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Len Marchand, the former Liberal MP and senator who was the first status Indian elected to Parliament, has died at age 82.

Marchand was recently admitted to a Kamloops, B.C., hospital with kidney problems and died on Friday. He is survived by wife Donna Parr, daughter Lori Marchand and son Len Marchand Jr. My dad was a really great man and had a huge impact on the history of this country, but he was also a really fine individual,” said Lori Marchand.

He was born in Vernon, B.C., in 1933 and went on to mark a number of milestones for indigenous people in Canada. He was the first status Indian to graduate from a public high school in Vernon, and was one of the first aboriginal students to enrol at the University of British Columbia.

Marchand also voted in an election in 1958, two years before First Nations citizens were granted the right to vote.

His work advocating for indigenous rights took him to Ottawa, where he got jobs working for cabinet ministers Jack Nicholson and Arthur Laing.

In 1968, he ran for the Liberals in Kamloops-Cariboo, which had long been held by Progressive Conservative MP E. Davie Fulton.

Marchand credited his win to his strong connections with the agricultural community in the area, and the visits Pierre Trudeau made on his behalf during the height of Trudeaumania.

Marchand went on to hold cabinet positions including minister of state for small business, where he was handed the task of bringing the metric system to Canada, and later served as environment minister until the Liberal government’s defeat in 1979. 

He was appointed to the senate in 1984, becoming the second Aboriginal senator in Canada, and retired in 1998. He was honoured with the Order of Canada the following year.

Simpcw First Nation Chief Nathan Matthew says Marchand was a role model for all First Nations.

“He really worked hard on how to make a better place for First Nations people, as well as doing all the other things he did as an MP,” said Matthew.

“He had an incredible memory, in terms of remembering people and places and conversations … and had a great sense of humour.”

Little known fact: He was also acting PM for five days at one time. Don't know the details of that but heard him recall the story in an interview.

[Cerridwen]

I, (and to this day, many others who live in this area as the story has been related to me), have never had much respect for Len Marchand. He was the MP for Kamloops/Cariboo many moons ago and in 1976 was present at a town meeting in Quesnel regarding the capital punishment vote that was coming up in Ottawa. He was made very much aware that his constituents were adamantly opposed to the repealing of capital punishment (and supported that position to his constituents)  yet went to Ottawa and voted in favour of abolishing capital punishment anyway.

I've no use for MPs who were elected to represent their constituents in Ottawa and then basically gave them the finger by voting the way THEY want. Sad to see you go, Len but no respect here.Happy to say that he was not re-elected when his term was up. It's never a good idea to screw over your constituents.

 

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In the 1979 election, Progressive Conservative candidate Don Cameron defeated Marchand, something he attributes to Canadians being tired of Trudeau — and his own positions on gun control and capital punishment.

http://www.kamloopsthisweek.com/where-are-they-now-len-marchand-still-watching-political-scene/

 

 

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Marchand was defeated. He blames an anti-Trudeau trend, his own personal stand on gun control and the fact that he had voted in favour of abolishing capital punishment.

http://www.elections.ca/content.aspx?section=res&dir=eim/issue3&document=p7&lang=e

 

[SaintPatrick33]

6 minutes ago, Cerridwen said:

I, (and to this day, many others who live in this area), have never had much respect for Len Marchand. He was the MP for Kamloops/Cariboo many moons ago and in 1976 was present at a town meeting in Quesnel regarding the capital punishment vote that was coming up in Ottawa. He was made very much aware that his constituents were adamantly opposed to the repealing of capital punishment (and supported that position to his constituents)  yet went to Ottawa and voted in favour of abolishing capital punishment anyway.

I've no use for MPs who were elected to represent their constituents in Ottawa and then basically gave them the finger by voting the way THEY want. Sad to see you go, Len but no respect here.Happy to say that he was not re-elected when his term was up. It's never a good idea to screw over your constituents.

 

What were the underlying reasons for why the townsfolk were in support of Capital Punishment at the time? 

[Cerridwen]

2 minutes ago, SaintPatrick33 said:

 

What were the underlying reasons for why the townsfolk were in support of Capital Punishment at the time? 

Exactly the same as the views and reasons are of those who support Capital  Punishment today. Time hasn't changed the reasons.

[Toews]

Well the death penalty is an antiquated and barbaric practice that is the very definition of cruel and unusual punishment. So props for being progressive enough to abolish something unconscionable. 

[nucklehead]

So an MP voted along party lines against a barbaric and archaic practice that was fraught with potential injustice.

And a Liberal MP at that. Shocking. Very petty of you my friend but then what to expect I suppose. Mr. Marchand set the bar high for his people. This man had nothing but the respect of people from all walks of life throughout his life. The least you can do is show it now or just observe a moments silence. Maybe Cathy Harper would be happy to share a glass of your sourgrape wine in your salute.

[Cerridwen]

Len Marchand was elected by the people of his riding to represent the views of the people who elected him. He did not do that. In fact, he did the exact opposite after assuring them and professing to take the views of his constituents to Ottawa and vote accordingly. He will never have my respect for that reason alone.

 

As far as 'sour grapes' and 'pettiness' go.......it's interesting to see how some of you here are busy taking to task (and are all over) anyone who does not do the job they have been chosen for or elected for yet you choose to take snarky shots at someone who was merely relating an experience of why a recently deceased Canadian Senator does not have their respect. Welcome to CDC where nothing ever changes and the practice of pots and kettles runs rampant.

 

By the way, Marchand himself acknowledged that the reason he was defeated and never re-elected was because of his views on gun control and his vote on capital punishment. Never screw over your constituents..... they'll make you pay for it.

[Toews]

He was not mandated to vote the way his constituents wanted him to vote. That does not mean that he did not do the job he was elected for. Maybe his constituents should have considered his party affiliation if they felt so strongly about the issue.

 

I think he deserves to be commended for voting with his conscience rather than pander to his reactionary constituents. Seems like a wise decision as humanity as a whole seems to be trending away from this barbaric and regressive form of punishment. He may not have been reelected but I (and I am sure many Canadians) thank him for having the mettle to do what was right than simply doing what it took to gain approbation.

[Cerridwen]

13 minutes ago, Toews said:

He was not mandated to vote the way his constituents wanted him to vote. That does not mean that he did not do the job he was elected for. Maybe his constituents should have considered his party affiliation if they felt so strongly about the issue.

 

I think he deserves to be commended for voting with his conscience rather than pander to his reactionary constituents. Seems like a wise decision as humanity as a whole seems to be trending away from this barbaric and regressive form of punishment. He may not have been reelected but I (and I am sure many Canadians) thank him for having the mettle to do what was right than simply doing what it took to gain approbation.

Commend him you may, and that is your right to do so. As do I have the right to not respect someone who chose to say one thing and then deliberately ignore the people who elected him in the first place despite his assertions that he would take their viewpoint to Ottawa and vote accordingly. He was elected to represent the people of his riding in Ottawa. He did not do so when he voted in direct opposition to their overwhelming views on the proposed repeal of capital punishment. It lost him the respect and support of a great many people, the very people who elected him in the first place. But they did have the final say in the end.

 

Regardless......I'm sure his loss is felt most keenly by his family and friends.