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Honorary Doctorate to Roy Romanow,
senior fellow in public policy, University of Saskatchewan and University
of Regina
visiting fellow, School of Policy Studies, Queen's University,
presented by Peter Walker, Dean, Faculty of Medicine
2003-06-02
Chancellor:
It is a land of bitter cold, dry heat and daunting open spaces, but something
about the prairies brings out the best in us. The region nurtures an idealism
capable of finding its way into everyday life. For most Canadians, nothing
captures this quality more
eloquently than the emergence of our contemporary health care system,
which began as a bold experiment launched in Saskatchewan in the 1960s.
The tireless proponent of that initiative was New Democratic Party pioneer
Tommy Douglas. His life-long pursuit of social policy standards made him
a cultural and political hero to many, including a young Roy Romanow growing
up in Saskatoon.
During the course of his own 34-year political career, Mr. Romanow remained
true to his prairie roots. Elected to the Saskatchewan Legislature eight
times between 1967 and 2001, he spent a great deal of that time showing
the rest of the country the virtues of
acting on worthwhile ideals.
En 1989, alors qu'il est chef de l'opposition néo-démocrate
à l'Assemblée législative de la Saskatchewan, M.
Romanow donne un aperçu révélateur et spectaculaire
de sa détermination. Le gouvernement conservateur veut privatiser
la Saskatchewan Energy
Corporation, le réseau provincial de distribution du gaz naturel.
Le matin où la loi doit être adoptée, il quitte l'Assemblée
en signe de protestation, entraînant tout son caucus avec lui et
bloquant, du fait même, tout le processus législatif et administratif.
C'est le genre de pari politique qui plaît en Saskatchewan, et
M. Romanow a brillamment remporté celui-ci : le débat public
autour de cette question a repris de plus belle, et les réactions
négatives ont fait reculer le gouvernement qui a éventuellement
abandonné le projet.
Within two years they were out of power and Mr. Romanow was premier,
a post he would hold for 10 more years. And while he might never again
have had to employ such extraordinary tactics, he continued to set a course
the rest of the country could follow
closely.
Among other things, he balanced the province's budget, diversified its
economy and instituted new programs to protect children at risk. Each
of these moves captured the attention of leaders elsewhere in the country,
who began to adopt similar measures.
Mais la contribution la plus importante de Roy Romanow a commencé
par une série de grandes réformes apportées au système
de soins de santé de la Saskatchewan, notamment en privilégiant
les notions de prévention et de mieux-être.
En 2001, peu après son retrait de la vie politique, à la
demande du Premier ministre du pays, M. Romanow accepte de diriger la
Commission sur l'avenir des soins de santé au Canada. Durant 18
mois, en sa qualité d'unique commissaire, il commande des études
et tient des audiences publiques partout au pays, explorant des sujets
aussi divers que le coût des médicaments, les besoins de
plus en plus pressants en soins à domicile et les défis
sanitaires particuliers auxquels fait face la population autochtone canadienne.
His final report, entitled "Building on Values", was tabled
in the House of Commons last fall. It offers nothing less than a blueprint
for updating and improving the way Canadians deal with all aspects of
health, from financing basic treatment to keeping up with technological
innovations. It is a plan that must lead to action, as far as Mr. Romanow
is concerned. He regards this complex social program as nothing less than
a defining feature of our national character.
It may be entirely fitting that our character should be defended in this
way by the populist spirit that thrives on the prairies. Saskatchewan
has often been described as the "last, best West", still essentially
an untamed frontier as late as the 1920s. And as
settled as it might have become, it continues to offer us all that is
best about the frontier - a sense of wonder and a sense of hope.
Mr. Romanow has embraced this infectious optimism throughout his life
and his work, making us all the better for his efforts. Chancellor, in
the name of the Senate of the University of Ottawa, I present to you for
the degree of Doctor of the University, Roy
Romanow, who embodies the frontier spirit we shall always need.
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