The Man in the Arena: From Railway Brat to Diplomat

397 Pages·2018·8.93 MB·English

by  Roger Simmons

F P L
LANKER RESS IMITED
S . J ’
T OHN S
Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication Simmons, Roger, author

The man in the arena : from railway brat to diplomat / Roger Simmons ; with a foreword by John C.
Crosbie.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Issued in print and electronic formats.
ISBN 978-1-77117-693-4 (softcover).--ISBN 978-1-77117-694-1 (EPUB).--

ISBN 978-1-77117-705-4 (Kindle).--ISBN 978-1-77117-706-1 (PDF) 1. Simmons, Roger. 2. Legislators--
Newfoundland and Labrador--Biography.

3. Legislators--Canada--Biography. 4. Newfoundland and Labrador. House of Assembly--Biography. 5.
Canada. Parliament. House of Commons--Biography.
6. Politicians--Newfoundland and Labrador--Biography. 7. Politicians--Canada--
Biography. 8. Diplomats--Canada--Biography. I. Title.
FC626.S56A3 2018 971.064092 C2018-904125-0
C2018-904126-9
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—————————————————————— © 2018 by Roger Simmons
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We acknowledge the [financial] support of the Government of Canada. Nous reconnaissons l’appui [financier] du gouvernement du
Canada. We acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts, which last year invested $153 million to bring the arts to
Canadians throughout the country. Nous remercions le Conseil des arts du Canada de son soutien. L’an dernier, le Conseil a investi
153 millions de dollars pour mettre de l’art dans la vie des Canadiennes et des Canadiens de tout le pays. We acknowledge the
financial support of the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, Department of Tourism, Culture and Recreation for our
publishing activities.
IN MEMORIAM
Otto Tucker,
mentor, patriot, friend
and
Ruby Noseworthy,
Pearl Seaward,
Susie Simms,
who were there for me
with oodles of TLC
AUTHOR’S NOTES
Some of the explanatory footnotes and in-text references will strike Canadian
readers as elementary and/or unnecessary. They are intended for Americans
who, understandably, are less familiar with Canadian geography, history,
traditions, customs, politics, and acronyms. In the same vein, a US readership is
the reason I sometimes take brief historical detours to give context to certain
subjects.
Award-winning author Ed Smith (1940–2017), in his great book From the
Ashes of My Dreams, eloquently stated, “This book is intended to be
futuristically productive rather than historically unkind.”
I couldn’t have said it better myself. My rule of thumb, in writing this volume
as in life, has been: If I can’t say something good about someone, I say nothing.
With some exceptions, where it would have been disingenuous not to bell the cat
or state the obvious, I have adhered to that guideline.
Persons who are no longer alive are identified, if the reference is
complimentary or neutral; otherwise, the reference is anonymous. (Not that all
the persons accorded anonymity herein are current recipients of their eternal
reward.)
CONTENTS
Foreword by The Honourable John C. Crosbie, PC, OC, ONL, QC
Preface
Introduction
PART 1: MOORED TO THE ROCK
1. A guy in a hurry
2. Chip off the old block
3. One rascal among many
4. Entrepreneur with acne
5. Distracted scholar
6. Son of the regiment
7. Mentor on the move
8. Community activist
9. Man of the house
10. Fella from the Rock
PART 2: CHARTING A PUBLIC COURSE
1. Union mouthpiece
2. One of the backroom boys
3. Voice of the people
4. Bayman in Bytown
5. Rising star
6. Taxpayer in the crosshairs
7. Shooting star
8. Leader on a short leash
9. Itinerant tribune
PART 3: NAVIGATING THE WIDER WORLD
1. Newfie diplomat
2. Sidekick to a man of valour
3. Bionic marketer
Acknowledgements
Bibliography
Index
JOHN CROSBIE
OUTSTANDING SERVICE TO NEWFOUNDLAND AND
LABRADOR AND TO CANADA

Lawyer, orator, humorist;
Deputy Mayor, City of St. John’s, NL, 1965–66;
Member of the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly
(MHA) for St. John’s West, 1966–76; Smallwood cabinet portfolios,
1966–68: Municipal Affairs and Housing, Health; Moores cabinet
portfolios,1972–76: Finance, Treasury Board, Economic
Development, Fisheries, Intergovernmental Affairs, Mines and
Energy, Government House Leader; Member of Parliament (MP) for
St. John’s West, 1976–93;
Clark cabinet portfolio, 1979–80: Finance;
Mulroney cabinet portfolios, 1984–93: Justice and Attorney General,
Transport, International Trade, Fisheries and Oceans, Atlantic Canada
Opportunities Agency; Chancellor, Memorial University of
Newfoundland, 1994–2008; Lieutenant-Governor of Newfoundland
and Labrador, 2008–13
FOREWORD
by The Honourable John C. Crosbie, PC, OC, ONL, QC
All the world’s a stage, And all the men and women merely players; They have
their exits and their entrances, And one man in his time plays many parts.
— W S , A Y L I (A II, S VII) I was an actor on
ILLIAM HAKESPEARE S OU IKE T CT CENE
the Newfoundland and Canadian political stage through much of Roger
Simmons’s political career, which spanned from 1973 to 1997. Always astute
and sharp-witted, he’s a wily character whom I have known for many years for
his commitment to public service and as an untiring and dedicated soldier of the
Salvation Army and, of course, the Liberal Party.
Roger and I were political contemporaries who first met in the late 1960s, and
although we were most of the time in different parties, we enjoyed a mutual
respect for one another, engaging in rigorous debate as is necessary in our
democratic process. Always ready with a sharp rejoinder, Roger, I recall, one
time referred to me in the House of Commons as: “the bionic mouth not attached
to any known intelligent life form!”
I am honoured to have been asked by the Honourable Roger Simmons, PC, to
provide this foreword to his engaging and wonderful account documenting the
ups and downs of a successful and colourful Newfoundland politician. Roger
consistently displayed tremendous resilience and has left an enduring impact on
just about every organization that he has been associated with along the way,
whether it be in the education system, Parliament, or the foreign service.
He also possesses an uncanny ability to, despite adversity, seemingly always
land on his feet and move forward without missing a beat. He is widely admired
in disparate circles for his tenacity and cleverness.
As the Member of Parliament for the sprawling coastal rural riding of Burin–St.
George’s along the south and southwest coasts of Newfoundland, Roger was a
tireless advocate of constituents residing in over 150 far-flung communities. As
Member of Parliament, he very ably fulfilled the role of political successor to
long-serving parliamentarians Chesley Carter (1949–1965) and Donald Jamieson
(1966–1979).
He has certainly enjoyed a fascinating career, and he has produced an
excellent book that’s well worth a read for anyone with an interest in Canadian
politics and how a successful politician might operate. It is good fortune that he
has decided to document in a most entertaining and interesting manner his