Others Say
My first chat on Parliament Hill was with Doug Fisher, then an NDP member, now an Ottawa journalist. It was a difficult conversation because he knew little more French than I knew English, but it was a pleasant encounter. I had introduction to Fisher from Fernand D. Lavergne, who admired him as the guy who had defeated C.D. Howe in Port Arthur, and Fisher took me to the House of Commons.“You’ll be sitting there,” he said pointing to the back row. “Yes,” I replied, “but someday I’ll be there.” I pointed to the front bench. Then Fisher gave me some good advice. “The guys who go to the front bench are the ones who work.” “Don’t worry,” I said. “I will work.”
– Jean Chrétien, Straight From The Heart
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THE WISEST GUY IN OTTAWA
Fisher has been the “Dean of the Parliamentary Press Gallery” for decades because he is so goddamn wise, and because of his unique background. He was a school teacher in what is now Thunder Bay, and under the socialist CCF (now the New Democratic Party) he astoundingly beat the famous C.D. Howe, Ottawa’s “minister of everything.”
– Allan Fotheringham
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Who are the best speakers in the House of Commons in the opinion of their fellow members? PM Diefenbaker, Paul Martin and Douglas Fisher are the choices.
– CANADIAN PRESS, 1960
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DILEMMA OF A MAVERICK POLITICIAN
Representatives of both Liberal and Conservative parties have approached Fisher to try to switch his political allegiance. Despite his frequent and unfriendly jabs at them, Prime Minister Diefenbaker and Liberal leader Lester Pearson have each privately congratulated him on the quality of his contribution to House debates. In a Canadian Press poll conducted last year among MPs, Fisher and Diefenbaker tied for top place as the chamber’s most effective debaters.
– Peter C. Newman
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SAINTS AND SINNERS
In 1957, Fisher defeated C.D. Howe in one of the greatest political upsets ever. But sometimes Doug the Giant Slayer put his big foot in his big mouth and that endeared him to me. Fisher, the rising star of Canadian socialism, told a 1961 conference organized by young Brian Mulroney that French Canadian culture was really only hockey player Rocket Richard and famed stripper Lilli St. Cyr.
– Larry Zolf
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If you have something you’d like to say, please leave a note using the form below.
The site is a collection of Doug’s columns and commentary on the events of our day, and includes retrospective interviews with Douglas in later years.
Our thanks to the many contributions of time and material that went into the creation of this site. The Toronto Sun and Legion magazine for the use of their copy, Peter and Marion Hennessy for their clippings and Steph at Reconfigure for work on the site.
Memories and messages have been posted throughout the site, see All Comments for a complete index.
Hello to all the Doug Fisher Family!
I write a column for the Thunder Bay Seniors Paer here in Thunder Bay. I’ve just submitted one to be carried in the November edition. It follows here. Use as much or as little as you like for your website in honour of Doug. My best wishes to the whole family at this time.
Sincerely,
Jim Foulds
MPP Port Arthur, 1971 - 1987
Word Count: 812 Remembering Doug Fisher
Doug Fisher’s recent death forcefully reminded me that a boy from the bush of Northwestern Ontario (and proud of it!) could have a huge impact on the national scene. The CCF/NDP MP for Port Arthur from 1957 to 1965, he also convincingly demonstrated that politicians could maintain their integrity.
However, although we intellectually understood his reasons, he broke the hearts of many of his local supporters, when he retired after eight years and four elections to become a full time journalist for a right-wing paper – which ironically paid more than being an MP at the time. Doug, with a growing family to support, felt he needed the increased income. As well, the travel back and forth on the train (a day’s journey each way) to spend a day and a half in his riding on weekends was tough both on Doug and his young family. Serving a constituency the size of France was no picnic. There comes a time when the burden simply becomes too great.
He was a giant of a man, both physically and politically. His defeat of C. D. Howe, the Liberals’ Minister of Everything, was the stuff of legends. C. D. contributed to his own defeat with his infamous comment during the 1956/57 Pipeline Debate, “What’s a Million?” But Doug capitalised on Howe’s apparent arrogance. A million was a hell of a lot of money to the voters of Port Arthur Riding. (My dad, for example, earned less than $3,000 a year.)
Fisher had three great gifts as a politician. He was physically imposing. He was intelligent. He kept in touch with his constituents.
I only met him a few times after he left politics for journalism. Once, shortly after I was elected to the Ontario Legislature in 1971, he gave me the most reassuring advice a rookie MPP could receive. “Just remember, Jim, the league down here ain’t that great.” About twenty years later, after I had retired from politics myself, I happened to meet him outside Safeways on Court Street. We chatted briefly about the one thing we both really missed about politics – the indescribable bond that grows between an elected representative and his constituents when they respect each other. “It was the one thing I could never convey to my colleagues in the Press Gallery,” he told me. I last met Doug some ten years ago when a mutual friend, Dusty Miller, hosted a small dinner party for us. It was the first time Doug met my wife, Judy. Afterwards, referring to Judy, he told Dusty, “I like that feisty woman!” Judy and I both took it as a great compliment.
Doug’s unique genius in 1957 was to combine two apparently incompatible technologies – the blackboard and television. It’s hard to imagine in this age of the fifteen second sound bite, but Doug used television to “teach” the voters of Port Arthur about federal politics. In fifteen minute and half hour TV segments, illustrating on an old fashioned blackboard he outlined the complexities of parliament and issues such Canada’s first gas pipeline and the federal budget – right after the six o’clock news. The voters of Port Arthur were mesmerised.
Some time after Howe’s defeat, Fisher and Howe accidentally met. C. D. said to Doug, “Thank you for defeating me! I never realized how pleasant life can be outside of politics.”
Doug’s other great strength as a politician was that he was able to mobilize people to work for him. He had a dedicated base of CCF members. But he was able to expand that base and inspire them to work tirelessly not only during campaigns but also in between elections. I remember as a young teacher setting off right after school with another supporter to drive Doug to Nakina for a public meeting. We all took our turns driving and sleeping so Fisher could speak at the meeting, then turn around immediately afterwards to arrive back in town at three in the morning. I showed up at school the next day on time, and Fisher was on the campaign trail equally early – preparing for one of his TV broadcasts.
I don’t want to imply I was a key CCF/Fisher operative in those days. I wasn’t. The supporters who deserve most of the credit are people like his wife, Barbara, Tom and Dusty Miller, Ron and Jeanne Wilmot, Rhoda and Jerry McKay, the Merkleys, the Deachmans, the Seamans, The Robinsons, Norm Richards, Peter Hennessy, and countless others – especially in the outlying district towns – whose names I’ve forgotten. It really was grassroots politics at its best. God, it was exhilarating. For all of us, winning with Fisher and the CCF/NDP was both inspiring and fun. Doug’s three victories proved Fred Robinson’s CCF provincial wins in the forties weren’t flukes; he paved the way for Jack Stokes and me in the sixties, seventies, and eighties.
Thanks, Doug, wherever you are!
I don’t often get teary-eyed but I did this morning when I heard that Doug Fisher passed away one day short of his 90th birthday celebration. Doug was one of the all-time great Canadians, a political giant killer when he defeated C.D. Howe in 1957 in Thunder Bay, a legendary journalist columnist, avid promoter and supporter of hockey.. I first heard of him in 1957 and again in the late 60s or early 70s when he had become a newspaper columnist and then finally met him in 1966 and then had the honour of calling him a colleague in 1967 when I worked in the newsroom of CJOH-TV in Ottawa. Canada is in short supply of men of the calibre and stature of Doug Fisher. I am proud and honoured to have known him.
Ron Wood
I am saddened to hear of your father’s death. Was he back in the Pentland house at the time? That would have been nice. Just one day short of 90 - the rest of us can only hope to live so long and with such clarity of mind and strength of intellect.
I have many fond memories of time spent with your family. I remember as a child when we would explore your father’s den - the interesting towers of newspapers and stacks of documents. Books with incomprehensible topics for a 6 year old to fathom. I remember wandering into your house in search of Luke and having your father rising from his chair reading a newspaper to yell for you from the base of the stairs. Getting the opportunity to attend a hockey Canada game. Witnessing Fisher family discussions of current events or Canadian politics, so different from my own family experiences, yet so interesting and exotic. Your fathers car with the odd circular mark on the ceiling, due to his great stature his head pressed on the ceiling. Matthew’s story of how the Chinese tailors could not believe your father’s dimensions when he ordered custom track suits for the family. Later helping move your father out of his old office - all those files and filing cabinets. An office like in a black and white movie about old time journalism - the desk lined with cigarette burns, old type writer tables and of course stacks of newspapers and documents. I can see the newspaper comic of Doug the immovable force on the railroad tracks. For me it was a rare opportunity to have met and known something of a famous Canadian.
My condolences to you and your family.
Peter
Hi Matthew
I think I am a few years older than you and remember both your parents very well — social occasions at our house in Ottawa, over lunches in the Parliamentary cafeteria (my favourite place at the time). Over later years, during visits Dad often showed me and wanted to discuss pieces your father had written. Although sorry to learn of his passing, I’m glad to know he enjoyed a long retirement, and to get a chance to convey my respects to you and your family.
Best regards,
Heather
(Heather’s father served with Doug in the NDP caucus in the ’60s)
I was so sorry to hear of the passing of your father. I remember well working with him on the Task Force on Sport report, and his excellent writing had a lot to do with the report getting the attention of decision makers at the time. He was a really good person.
I know it is always a sad time to lose a loved one, but I’m sure your good memories will help ease your loss.
Thinking of you,
Sincerely,
Nancy Greene Raine
I join fellow students in celebrating a pretty good history teacher at PACI in 1957. Douglas Fisher had the courage to try to convince our grade 10 sophisticates that history and current affairs was interesting, challenging, even stimulating! Many will now reflect on the high school years, and remember those teachers who stand out, who had a lasting influence,and who made a difference in our life-choices. Douglas Fisher was certainly one of the best, respected, dedicated. An honorable Canadian of whom we can all be proud.
Doug Fisher was a guiding light for me when I started work as a journalist in the Parliamentary Press Gallery in 1970 – first for Canadian University Press, and months later, United Press International. Hard to believe but in those days it was a men’s gallery; Doug was not in that mould. He willingly shared his love of the country and vast knowledge of politics. He cared about Parliament, the institution. He had an I.F. Stone approach to journalism – read the record – Hansard, Committee reports. In there you find your stories. And of course, having been an MP, his relationships with other members gave him unique insight in to what was happening. His second home in my time was the West Block cafeteria.
For some reason I remember that he always cared about my family, particularly my mother, although I can’t remember why he would ask. He cared about other journalists, particularly my friends at the CBC, which I later joined, and always seemed to be cheering us on. He was a larger than life presence, his office door was always open.
I admit my memories are old now, frozen in time, but I do believe that Doug will be remembered not just for what he wrote on any given day, but what he shared with other reporters that surely influenced for the better what we produced.
Susan Reisler
UPI Ottawa 1971-75
CBC Radio and Television 1975-2000
It’s a hard blow even when expected. No need to tell you, no way to tell you what knowing your dad has meant to me. I have heard so many great tales about everything from life in the N. Ontario bush to the personality of MJ Coldwell.
I’ve had so many discussions that were really lessons from someone whose knowledge and instinct for politics and people was so exceptional and who never fell in with conventional wisdom or intellectual pretence. All that and much more and a great friend,too.
Sympathy to you and your family, your brothers and to your mother whom I’m so glad I met at the time of the 50th anniversary party two years ago.
We’ll have some good chats in the weeks ahead.
David McCormick
CBC News
I was so sorry to hear about your dad’s passing. He was such am important presence for this country and your family. He will be sorely missed. I remember having lunch with him on several occasions at the centre block cafeteria when I was a kid, with my dad and a crowd as diverse as Tommy Douglas and Alvin Hamilton. There is a lot that generation could teach ours about finding common ground. Your dad was always in the thick of it at the table as the banter went round. But always maintained a bemused look in his eye. My father valued his friendship and for years considered his column the only one worth reading out of Ottawa. But I’m sure for your father, moving on when his time came was made easier knowing you and Matthew were so ably carrying where he left off. Give our regards to your family. And take care.
David McGuffin
CBC News Nairobi
Fishers,
I was sorry to hear the news that your dad passed away. Even when you expect it, it still hurts. And I know it will leave a big hole in your life.
Doug was a giant. In so many ways. When I arrived in Ottawa the first time, 1979, he was already a legend. We all looked up to him. He had a great, full life. We should all be so lucky to (almost) hit 90.
Please pass on my condolences to Mark, Matthew and Luke.
Roger Smith
I am so sorry to hear about the passing of your father. He was such a kind and gentle man - a man who made an extraordinary contribution to the country. He was so well respected in the world of journalism and across all party lines. He was a man of wisdom, generosity and a strong sense of integrity and decency.
On a personal note, I would like to say how supportive your dad was to me in my years as a reporter on the Hill. I often called him just to chat about whatever story I was working on or the latest rumour I had heard. More often than not, he had already heard the rumour! Usually, I could usually hear a House of Commons broadcast from Question Period or a committee hearing in the background from his TV.
I turned to your dad regularly for advice on how best to approach stories or who to talk to. He eagerly offered suggestions and would often call back if he thought of something else later on.
I have a great big poster from my days as Bureau Chief at Sun Media that hangs in my CMHC office today. It was part of a Sun ad campaign that promoted the Sun’s Parliament Hill Bureau. It has a picture of your dad, along with Greg Weston, Stephanie Rubec, Mark Dunn, Maria McClintock, David Gamble and myself in the foyer of the Commons. The caption says: “Sun media’s group of seven paints a vivid picture of Ottawa politics.” I recall calling your Dad to ask if he would participate in this ad campaign. He responded immediately saying he would be pleased to participate and showed up donning a jacket and tie. I am so proud of that group picture.
I know this is a very difficult time, but just wanted to say that I am thinking about you and your family. Please accept my deepest condolences.
Sincerely,
Anne Dawson
Mentor, colleague, inspiration, and generosity….those are some of the words that spring to mind as I think of Doug. His training as a librarian and historian contributed to his encyclopedic knowledge of the Parliament he so loved and wrote about so wisely. From the day I joined the press gallery, and through my years as Political Editor of the Toronto Telegram and CFTO, he shared his knowledge and wisdom unstintingly. What a treasure that was!
When the late Charles Templeton, then boss of CTV, asked me to replace Doug as host of Question Period I accepted on condition that Doug agreed. He did, with grace, and wit, and kindness…an ongoing encouragement.
Doug loved to lampoon pomposity and elitism, but he was never narrow or nasty.He truly was a giant of man with heart to match.
Dear Bubba, Mark, Matthew, Tobias, John, Luke, Wendel and Ruth(Douglas)
I remember, years ago, telling Luke what an intelligent columnist his dad was, how he predicted what would happen, and that as far as I had checked, he was right.
Knowing what a great hockey fan I am, Luke then told me that Doug was one of the earliest organizers of what we now call “Canada Cup”. Luke showed me pictures and newspaper articles. This made him my hero.
I met him several times after, including his retirement celebration. This great man took the time to speak to me every time I met him. He took the time and effort to get to know my family. My sister, Kamla, is married to Luke. We’ve always been fans of Doug and Bubba, who as we know was the driving force during the greatest part of his career. Luke actually named his daughter Ruth Douglas in his honour.
God bless you.
I wanted to send my condolences to all of Douglas’ family.
My visits to Ottawa have been few and far between in recent years. I regret that we only got to visit together once in the last 4-5 years, but Douglas has been in my thoughts often.
Many of you know how much of a mentor Douglas was for me as a teacher and then when he became a politician and journalist. He played a very large role in my early life and career choices and in the successes I did have over the years.
Some of my family never got to meet Douglas. I regret that immensely, as I regret the infrequency of our visits, when he began to travel less frequently to Toronto.
He enriched my life. I will never forget him.
Condolences to the family.
I have been task to write this note from my family to yours. Art(1915), Lyall (1917), Bud (1919), Ida (1921), Ellen, (1923) spent their early years with Doug in Sioux Lookout. Their Dad Gordon was also a CNR locomotive engineer.
Always look forward to reading his stuff, he fought the good fight.
I extend my condolences to Mark, Matthew, Toby, John and Luke on the passing of your father. I know how proud you were of him. Doug lived a very full and interesting life. His death marks the end of an era. While Doug’s stature and intellect could be intimidating, he was truly a kind and generous man.
Perhaps Doug Fisher’s most impressive accomplishment (and Mrs. Fisher’s) was raising a brood of boys who became such fine journalists in their own right. Gosh knows the profession needs them.
I had the good fortune to work with Tobias and Mark. To them and the rest family, my sincere condolences.
Mark
Thank you for your friendship, for your guidance, and for your love of Parliament.
Barry Turner
Former MP, Ottawa-Carleton
Our deepest condolences to the Fisher family. The Hill has lost a class act, but Doug’s legacy continues in his sons.
Luigi and Carol Della Penta
dear Barbara and sons–
Barbara, you may or may not remember me, but I was in your Admiral Rd house once or twice and saw a lot of Doug through the 1945-49 years, being in MH and in
Burwash (North as opposed to his South House)as he was. I don’t know how Doug put up with people like me, but he more-than-did: lots of talks, some shared
study-hours (he and Harry and Sid Wise and I were all part of a sort of seminar which the lovely Bill Dray set up for us in our 4th year)—and Doug even helped
out on a basketball team which Sid and I and others played on one year, not a regularly established Vic team, but just friends playing together (some
toughguy opponents, one in Belleville I remember where I was rabbit-punched on the opening jump-off by a moonlighting Argo lineman, collapsed, returned a bit
paler than before, and Doug ambled onto the floor and whispered a few words into the ear of this thug who himself, literally!, turned pale and became a
lamb. We on our team were pretty sure Doug wouldn’t have damaged him, but he couldn’t know that.) Now and then during all the years since then I would hear
from Doug, he spent a night in our apartment in Copenhagen in about 1963 or 4,I rang doorbells for him during the Toronto Campaign–I forget the year.
Such-like things. And of course I watched and heard him on election-night panels, and read many columns. I always valued him, probably much more than he
knew, as one of the brightest and honestest men whose path had crossed with mine, and I dont mean ‘one of the dozens’, I mean one of the very damn few.
Should have told him so and never did. He was unfailingly, in my experience, an honourable man, and I liked him a lot.
I liked you pretty much too, Barbara, and hope you are as well as any of us can be. Or better!
love from me, best to the Gospel-ones + Toby. (I have a son who shares his name with the one you bypassed for a while: Luke).
Don
Our deepest condolences Barbara, to you and your family from Antonio and Helen, Lucio and Anita and the staff from Estetica.
Mr. Fisher (I could never call him Doug) loomed large in my life from the first day I met him in my Grade 10 history class at Port Arthur Collegiate Institute. He was a teacher unlike any other, not only huge physically, but huge in intellect. He challenged us in ways I had never experienced before, and taught life lessons that stay with me to this day. He wasn’t long at PACI before moving into federal politics, but I know that he influenced many, many students in the most positive way.
I remember the sheer excitement of Election Night in 1957 when he knocked off C.D. Howe. For me, already interested in politics, his campaign awakened a lifelong commitment to social justice. Those were heady days.
It was many years after I left PACI that our paths crossed again. I was working as a writer and editor for an organization that was responsible for promoting Canada’s high performance and Olympic athletes, an area in which he was passionately interested. Working in the same field was his son, Matthew; we became friends and are to this day. During this period, I saw Mr. Fisher from time to time and was acutely aware that he seemed to know exactly what I was up to professionally. And that made me strive to write as well as I possibly could; he seemed to be always looking over my shoulder and I wanted him to give me a good mark. He was responsible for recommending me for a position on “The Hill”, a once-in-lifetime experience, and although I chose to leave after a fairly short stint, it was a stimulating opportunity.
In later years, my husband and I were privileged to share some social occasions with him, several times at our home, where he requested that I serve him pickerel, a favourite from his days in Northwestern Ontario, and on a very special day two years ago when his family put on a party to celebrate that first election victory.
It was always a pleasure and an honour to hear him reminisce. He had such a vast knowledge of so many aspects of human life that every moment spent in his presence was a learning experience.
He will be sorely missed – people like him do not come along very often – but his legacy lives on in his sons and grandchildren. And it is a wonderful legacy indeed.
Dear Barbara and sons,
I was so sad to learn of Doug’s passing. He was such a generous person. When I read about what an important writer and MP he was, I’m proud to have known him, but the Doug I knew was crazy about babies. I smile, remembering how he carried Gretchen and Steve around when you visited us in Fort William.
I often think about you all. Our sympathy to you and the boys.
Helen, Bill, Gretchen and Steve
To the Family of Mr. Doug Fisher, I am so very sorry for your loss.
I did not know Mr. Fisher, but I looked forward to his columns in The Toronto Sun. I learned so much from his columns, his knowledge was so diverse and were full of valuable facts. This was knowledge I could never begin to learn reading a thousand books. I always felt, when I read his columns, that I was living those moments he wrote about. His knowledge of the war and of parliamentary happenings and insight was invaluable.
I knew when he retired from writing his columns that it would be difficult to find any other writer that could deliver the knowledge and insight that he gave in every column.
Thank you Mr. Fisher.
He will be dearly missed by so many.
Patricia Brewitt
1978 had Douglas attend my public school in Kanata (which I was a student with his son Luke my best friend), and gave our grade 8 class a lecture on Canada fighting in World War 2! Of course with him being a WW2 vet, he had all of us kids spellbound with war stories.
1997 had Douglas attend the Rideau Club to celebrate 40yrs on the Hill. I was quite lucky to have been invited while Pierre Trudeau was not! I thanked Douglas for being my favorite Canadian Press writer!
RIP
Kevin McCarthy
Doug was a terrific Uncle. I enjoyed many chats about past and present family membership also politics.
Remember with love and affection,
Joyce
Dear Barbara, Mark, Matthew, John, Luke, and Tobias
I was sorry to read of Douglas’s passing, in the Globe and Mail today. It has brought back many memories of living next door to you on Arthur St in Port Arthur, and baby sitting at your house. My parents (Fred and Eileen) were both very found of Barbara and Douglas, and when I met Douglas a few years ago, he commented on the many times he sat around our kitchen table talking politics, and religion, or other interesting topics of the day.
Later when he was on Television (I think it was CJBQ on saturday nights) Mom and Dad never missed his programme.
My condolences to you all.
Norah Shannon Buckley
Back in the early ’70s, I was working at CJOH-TV in Ottawa as a reporter/editor/producer. “Talking heads” were still a big part of Newsline at that time due partially to technology limitations but also due to the station’s financial insecurity. When producing Newsline, one of my tasks was to line up one of the members of our stable of commentators to appear on Newsline the following day. All of these commentators were men of a certain age,this was in the days of women’s lib and I was a feminist. I dreaded calling some of them as they persisted in treating me as clerical staff, rather than as a serious journalist. But not Doug Fisher. He, along with Charles Lynch, were my favorites to contact. Sometimes one of the commentators would cancel — almost at the last minute. A call to Doug always brought a quick response, and in a flash, the hole in the news sked would be filled. He was able to explain a piece of legislation or an event in the House of Commons in a succinct, understandable manner, recognizing that not all of our viewers posessed degrees in political science. I admired him as a journalist and as a person and I was very sorry when he decided to retire — I missed his regular column in the Sun. My condolences to the family — especially to Matthew, whom I had the pleasure of working with when he started his journalism career at CJOH.
Canada has lost a great and inspiring man!
My Dear Uncle Doug,
Finally you are at rest from a long and great career. Even though death steals our silence it will never do that to you. The reason is simple. Your work as a teacher, a politician and a writer/journalist will leave an imprint on Canadians/Canadiens life-style for a long time to come.
Dearly missed (by me and your family) but I know you are still teaching somewhere with an independant air that only a Thunder Bay Northerner can do.
Happy 90th birthday as well.
Jim Fisher, Fargo, North Dakota, USA.
I extend my sincere condolences to the family of Doug Fisher.
His columns in the Sun newspapers were second to none and were always a tremendous source of political information and commentary. I clearly remember the column he wrote for the old Toronto Telegram with the late Harry Crowe, and that is how I first became aware of Mr. Fisher even before I entered high school. I also recall his run for Parliament in the 1968 election, when he ran in York Centre against Jimmy Walker.
Mr. Fisher will be deeply missed.
WOW. I knew of Mr. Fisher but did not realize that he was a real man of the world. Such a history and life he had lead. My sincere condolences to the family of Mr. Fisher. Are there any books he wrote? I would like to read them……
Signed,
A new fan of Doug Fisher
Elias Nasrallah
Dear Mark, Tobias and Matthew,
I hope this gets to all of you, one way or another; I was very sorry to hear of your Father’s passing. I remember him well.
My heartfelt condolences.
Greg Aldworth
My father introduced me to Doug Fisher’s writings over 30 years ago. He and I both enjoyed in his columns in the Legion magazine and in newspapers.
I met Mr Fisher briefly two or three years ago and had a quick chance to tell him how much we appreciated his contributions to Canada.
He was a very fine man and a great Canadian.
As a young journalist, in my first national bureau at The Globe and Mail, I often had a chance to speak to Douglas Fisher. I was usually looking for his son, Mathew, my predecessor in the Alberta job, who was off in other parts of the globe.
Douglas would tell me where his roving son might be and then, often for an hour or more, tell me about his experiences in the business of politics and journalism. He was an inspiring man. His accomplishments still are.
Miro Cernetig, Vancouver Sun columnist
Doug Fisher was also a great harmonica player, we will miss him.
Thank you Mr. Fisher for your service to Canadians.
In tne mid-fifties there were three fulltime history teachers at the Port Arthur Collegiate Institute to accommodate the civic needs of that small school. All the students took history to grade 12, a situation that would make the likes of Jack Granatstein jump for joy. Douglas, Harry Smith and I were the trio who did the honours every day. Doug brought a fresh influence to the department, less antiquarianism and more social reality. The staff room was opposite his classroom so that he could easily roll a cigarette and have a few drags during change of classes. In the late winter of 1956-57, he was recruited by the CCF to run against C.D. Howe in the upcoming federal election. Hardly anybody gave him a chance to win — C.D. had been the MP since 1935 and practically owned the riding. Those who didn’t admire him were afraid of him. I was invited to be Doug’s Official Agent which meant chief fund raiser and book-keeper. Along with Barbara Fisher, Ron Wilmot and Fred Robinson, I soon found myself in a broader role than bean counter. Douglas saw the potential for victory in the new medium, television, with its makeshift studio on the second floor of an abandoned fire hall. His campaign bought lots of post-supper TV spots up to voting day. We arranged a chalkboard on an easel so that Doug could inform the citizenry of facts and figures that pointed to the necessity of better government for northwestern Ontario. His broadcasts gave him an instant advantage over C.D. who appeared on TV reluctantly and, consequntly as a grumpy uncle, the more-so as the campaign advanced. On the last evening for advertising, Doug and I left the TV studio just as C.D. Howe walked though the door to make his final pitch. He shook Douglas’s hand and said “Well, young fella, it’s going to be either you or me and we’ll soon know, won’t we?” The rest, as they say, is history. Congratulations, Douglas, as you head into the last decade of your first century.
Date: Tue, 30 Jun 2009 08:57:10 -0700
Please convey my fond wishes to Mr. Fisher on his 90th Birthday.
I owe my career as a Political Scientist here at McMaster University [Retired] to Mr. Fisher. I send him my heartfelt thanks for his timely advice when I was teacher at Fort William High School from 1959-61..
I had joined the local Fort William CCF Organization, and appeared on local TV several times with Mr. Fisher. My students dubbed the two of us as “Mutt and Jeff”, since i was only 5 ft 5 inches and 140 pounds, whereas Mr. Fisher was well over 6 feet and a robust 250 lbs. I never asked for details.
I was and still am very proud of Douglas’s accomplishments, especially his victory over C. D. Howe.
I was very active in the Port Arthur-Thunder Bay community, and was asked to be a CCF candidate in the next federal election. I was very flattered and excited by the invitation. Fortunately, I asked Mr. Fisher for his advice. When I told him that I had always wanted to become a University Professor, he suggested, strongly, that I forget about the nomination, as I would be very disappointed, as he was, with being a backbencher in a minority party. He encouraged me to go back to University and try to get my Ph.D. in Political Science. He asked me not to discuss our private conversation, as he was the sitting MP and the media would gladly crucify him if they knew about his ambivalence about his role in Parliament. I have never regretted following his wise advice.
When I chose my topic for my Ph.D. dissertation, I took up Mr. Fisher’s observations to me about the role of backbenchers in Parliament. The dissertation was subsequently published as: The Myth of Parliament”
Prentice Hall, 1974.
If Mr. Fisher doesn’t have a copy of The Myth, I would be very pleased to send him a copy of it to the address you supply.
You may forward this to Doug. But, I would appreciate it if you could give me Doug’s private email address, as I would like to write to him personally.
Cheers
Roman March.
Doug was my history teacher in Grade 11 at the Port Arthur Collegiate. He was an inspiring and provocative teacher, and all his students were his fans. When he ran for Parliament and defeated C.D. Howe, his students were unofficial campaigners as we all told our parents they should vote for him. He took an interest in my student career after I left Port Arthur and went to Queen’s, but he was somewhat horrified that I got involved with the Progressive Conservative party, telling me that I was “preternaturally serious” at too young an age. Though I admired his work as an MP and even wrote letters to the local paper defending his role as an opposition Member, I ended up working on the campaign of his PC opponent in the 1962 election. Little did I realize that in the next election,those admiring letters would be published by the NDP in a newspaper ad to show that even ardent PC organizers were not so secret fans of the NDP Member! Over many years, after joining the federal and BC provincial public services, and burying my political preferences, I continued to read Doug’s columns and to marvel at his ability to focus on the truth and to skewer any public figure who tried to skate around issues. I was delighted to read Roy MacGregor’s column, which brought back many fine memories of Doug Fisher. How wonderful that he will soon celebrate his 90th birthday, congratulations, Doug!
Best regards, Stewart Goodings.
I was delighted to read of this site in Roy MacGregor’s Monday column.
As a great admirer of Doug Fisher, I formerly sent him my Inside Queen’s Park newsletter, on which he commented kindly. I was asked to stop sending it when he moved into a care facility. Now that I learn he is reading still I wonder if he might want to see IQP again.(gratis, of course). If you would like to review it, please give me an e-mail address to which I can send recent issues.
God Bless Douglas Fisher!
Graham Murray,
President, G.P. Murray Research Ltd.
Douglas Fisher-A Great Canadian
I first heard of Doug Fisher in 1957 when my Dad read that a young schoolteacher in northern Ontario had defeated C.D. Howe in the general election of that year. My Dad was laughing and said he thought that would probably have rocked “old C.D. more than a two by four across the back of the head.” He knew Howe through business and while they weren’t close friends, Dad had a lot of respect for “The Minister of Everything” in the Liberal St. Laurent Government. It might have been C.D. who tried to persuade my Dad to consider running for Parliament before Dad decided to move the family to Calgary in 1946. The young teacher was Douglas Fisher and I was reminded of this when I read a feature in today’s (June 29/09) Globe & Mail by Roy McGregor. It’s about the approaching 90th birthday of Doug Fisher. The next time Doug came to my attention was when he did a report card on Parliament and Parliamentarians but I can’t remember which magazine or publication carried it or even the year. But again it was Dad who brought it to my attention and he said at the time that he thought this Fisher guy was shaking things up in Ottawa and that was a good thing.
Years go by and I’m in Ottawa and in the Parliamentary Press Gallery for a private radio network and I finally get to meet Doug Fisher. I had broken a story on radio about how still serving and some retired military brass were advising the Tories on how to battle unification of the Canadian Armed Forces. Doug stopped me one day in the Centre Block and congratulated me on my scoop. To be honest, he also once tut-tutted me for testing security in the Centre Block when I carried in some sawed-off broomsticks painted red with strings attached that resembled fuses. He said it was unfair to have done that and to this day, I’m still embarassed by the silliness of that juvenile stunt.
Even better, a few years later and I’m at CJOH-TV in Ottawa and Doug Fisher is one of a string of journalistic greats who did commentaries for the various news programs, especially the flagship 6:00 pm newscast but also on the morning news show I anchored and that was one of, if not the first live news/interview show on Canadian television. If it wasn’t, nobody ever told me any other station was doing one at that time and Canada A.M. hadn’t yet been born. Another legendary Ottawa character, Roy Faibish who was Executive V.P. at the station told me later the ratings in eastern Ontario/western Quebec for that local morning show helped persuade CTV that a full network morning show was worth considering.
Doug Fisher, George Bain, Charlie Lynch, Pauline Jewett, Peter Stursberg, W.A. Wilson all did commentaries and I got to know all of them.
Doug and I even worked together as a tag team on a story I broke concerning the purchase of some video equipment by a private concern that was lent to a Liberal Cabinet Minister to use to prepare for an upcoming leadership campaign. Doug would slip something fresh into his newspaper column and I’d add that to my next on-air piece and add a new detail, which he’d use the next day in his column and add a new one and so on. We kept it alive for a bit longer than it might have lived back in those days.
Doug became a mentor and even gave me career advice. He once told me he thought I should consider accepting an offer to go way up north to work for the CBC Northern Service, not just for the money and job experience but for the northern experience which he thought would have been even more valuable.
When Reform arrived in Ottawa in 1993 the first person I looked up was Doug Fisher and I told Preston Manning and anybody else who’d listen that if they wanted wisdom and maybe even strategic advice, they should go and listen carefully to whatever Doug Fisher had to offer. Doug was ensconced at that time in a crammed office in what we once called the Norlite Building and which housed the old and now defunct National Press Club and most of the Press Gallery. Doug was still writing a column for the Sun chain of newspapers and by then was Dean of the Gallery. He gave me a lot of advice and was generous with his time whenever I visited.
Doug Fisher is one of a handful of individuals for whom I have the absolute greatest respect, admiration and affection. I hope that he wouldn’t consider it too pushy of me to call him a friend and I hope when he celebrates his upcoming 90th birthday that he will know that way out west there’s one no longer young and no longer green reporter, but still just a “cub” in comparison who will be celebrating the honour of having met, known and worked alongside one of the truly greats, Doug Fisher.
A very happy birthday, Mr. Fisher.