Canada’s former minister of External Affairs, Flora MacDonald, has died at the age of 89. Certainly one of the best Prime Ministers we never had.
FLORA IN ACTION AT THE UNITED NATIONS
I snapped the above photo a couple of years back when we shared a table at a PEN luncheon in support of Canadian authors and magazines who had had the audacity to claim their Magna Carta rights of Free Speech in defiance of woebegone provincial tribunals. She left the luncheon early to catch a flight to Afghanistan to support her charity in that war torn land. Sleeping in remote Afghan villages was something I was crazy enough to do in the 70’s. It was something she was BRAVE enough to do in the era of the Taliban when it counted. A very gutsy lady.
Locally she shopped at the same grocery store as I do. I would always give her a cheery hello with the title “Madame Minister”. It never failed to bring a smile to her face like the one you see above.
Two months ago I saw her at the Vietnamese community’s commemoration of the Boat People crisis. Ms MacDonald, frail but undaunted, was given a thunderous standing ovation for her leadership role in bringing so many of that dynamic community to Canada. A fitting send off.
Madame Minister,
AVE ATQUE VALE!