John Crosbie: Tell it like it is

John Crosbie in the House of Commons in 1988.
Source: www.cbc.ca
Chuck Mitchell/The Canadian Press
(May be subject to copyright)

Usually when the name Crosbie hits the airwaves, we see the exploits of the talented captain of the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Recently, a different Crosbie made headlines for being just as talented and entertaining as the hockey player – only he did it in a much more combative environment than professional hockey – politics.

Yes, instead of Sidney, it was John Crosbie whose picture was on the screen.

It was with sadness that I heard that John Crosbie, my favourite political figure of all time (next to John Diefenbaker of course), had passed away.

He was outspoken, passionate, fearless and a true leader.

Those are the things and much more that I will remember

Blue budget blues
I was just nine years old in 1979 when Joe Clark and his Progressive Conservatives shocked the world and upset the governing Liberals led by Pierre Trudeau. They won enough seats to form a minority government, something I was just learning about.

Joe Clark named John Crosbie his minister of finance, and thus began my fascination with Crosbie.

Blue suede – uh seal shoes
There is a tradition in Canada where the finance minister will wear a new pair of shoes when bringing down the budget. Crosbie chose a pair of sealskin shoes to support that industry, which was important to his home province Newfoundland and Labrador.

It was a neat gesture.

Loss of power
That Joe Clark government would be short-lived though.

Again, I was just learning about politics, but what a time to learn. Public opinion had begun to turn on the Conservatives so, when Crosbie prepared to bring down his first budget, there was talk of a non-confidence vote, and that the government might fall over the budget.

What was interesting was that vote in the House of Commons was broadcast on live network TV.

So, I watched CBC and witnessed history – the Progressive Conservative government did lose that non-confidence voted as the New Democrats sided with the Liberals. The government could have won the vote, but the four Creditiste MPs from Quebec, who would have put the PCs over the top, elected to stay home.

Canadians would go to the polls again, this time on Feb. 18, 1980 – my 10th birthday.

Trudeau would return from the political wilderness and lead the Liberals back to power, winning a majority government and consigning the Conservatives back to the opposition benches.

Underdog candidate
A growing number of party members became disenchanted with Joe Clark’s leadership, feeling he bungled the party’s chance at governing.

At the same time, Brian Mulroney continued to undermine Clark’s leadership. By 1983, the party was ripe for a leadership change. A leadership review was held in Winnipeg in 1983 and Clark received the approval of 66.9 per cent of delegates. Feeling that was not high enough, Clark moved for a leadership convention and the party obliged.

Soon after, John Crosbie announced he would be a candidate for his party’s leadership.

He energized the party and his leadership bid gained momentum as the leadership convention at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto approached. Clark had been the front runner, but I had an uneasy feeling Mulroney was headed for victory.

But that was not a fait accompli because Crosbie showed he was tough, determined, outspoken, and charming. He spoke well, built a stronger and stronger case that he was the one best equipped to lead the party and take them back to power.

Going into that convention, Crosbie seemed to be the second choice of virtually everyone supporting either Mulroney or Clark.

After the first ballot, that was borne out by the fact he was in third place.

That did not change through the next ballots, until there were just the three of them left.

He finally had to choose – go with Clark or Mulroney.

In a move that made me respect Crosbie even more than I already did, he turned his delegates loose. They were free to support whoever they wanted. He was not going to sway them by going to one candidate or the other.

Looking back, that was politically shrewd. Had he supported a losing candidate, he may be on the outside looking in when it came to a seat at the cabinet table if the Conservatives did win the next election. He could also have been completely excluded. That did not happen though.

What is interesting about his underdog candidacy, is something I read in a book called “The Contenders”, about that leadership convention.

While Crosbie was contemplating what to do after finishing third on that ballot, his people worked the room. It became clear to them Mulroney was going to win, because there were just too many people who could not support Clark. However, a lot of Clark delegates said they would support Crosbie. When that was put to the Clark people, they kind of already knew he was going to lose to Mulroney, and they did want to prevent that. However, Clark, and his people could just not see the sitting leader of the party bow out and throw his support behind the candidate in third place. So, Clark hung in and lost the leadership to Mulroney.

John Crosbie was that close to becoming leader of the Progressive Conservative Party.

Yes, minister
In 1984, Trudeau went for his walk in the snow and decided to retire. The Liberals subsequently chose John Turner as their leader.

He called an election for September of 1984 and Mulroney trounced him, winning one of the largest majorities in Canadian history and decimating the Liberals and the NDP.

Mulroney then tapped John Crosbie to be justice minister. I was surprised, because I thought he might get finance but, hey, he was one of the few finance ministers in history to have his budget defeated triggering a general election. Maybe it wasn’t the best idea.

He would also go on to serve as Minister of Transport, Minister of International Trade, and Minister of Fisheries and Oceans.

Crosbie made his mark in government. He supported the newly-negotiated free trade agreement with the United States and became minister of international trade shortly after its negotiation, promoting it in the 1988 general election. He supported redress for the Japanese-Canadians who were wrongly interned during in the Second World War, which led to an apology by the prime minister in the House of Commons and compensation of $18,000 per victim. He also proposed the creation of the World Trade Organization. He was an early supporter of gay and lesbian rights as well.

Battle of the ages
It was while he was in cabinet, that Crosbie did battle in one of the fiercest and most intriguing feuds ever in Canadian politics.

Sheila Copps was a Liberal MP from Hamilton who could get under Crosbie’s skin. In 1985, during a heated exchange in Parliament he told Copps to, “Just quiet down baby.” In 1990, he got into hot water again when, at a fundraiser, he said, “Pass the tequila Sheila, and lay down and love me again.”

They did eventually call a truce. Copps even called Crosbie a great Canadian when he died earlier this year.

Parting thoughts
When Brian Mulroney retired as prime minister in 1993, John Crosbie retired at the end of his term that same year. He would go on to a legal career in private practice and became lieutenant-governor of his native and beloved Newfoundland and Labrador from 2008 to 2013.

What I will always remember about John Crosbie was his passion. His battles with Sheila Copps epitomized that.

Perhaps what illustrated what Crosbie was like was an incident in Newfoundland. He was Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, and there was talk of closing the Atlantic Northwest Cod Fishery. When confronted by an angry crowd, he retorted, “I didn’t take the fish from the goddamn water, so don’t go abusing me.”

That sums up the life and political career of John Crosbie.

He was one of those politicians who tells it like it is.