Stephen Lewis set the standard for leadership

He defined what was best about Canada

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On March 31, we said goodbye to Stephen Lewis, one of the greatest Canadians of my lifetime.

Growing up in Toronto, I first became aware of Lewis in the 1970s when he was leader of the Ontario New Democratic Party. My first impression was that he used a lot of big words that I didn’t understand. As I became more aware of Canadian and global politics, however, I learned there was real meaning behind his words, grounded in a profound understanding of the world he lived in.

I had the privilege to meet Lewis in person when he spoke in my community of Prince George, B.C., 20 years ago. His career in politics was summarized in a joke he told: “What’s the difference between a caucus and a cactus? On a cactus, the pricks are on the outside.”

That wit wasn’t for show. It came from someone who knew exactly what he stood for and wasn’t afraid to say it. Particularly meaningful to me was Lewis’s experience advocating for the human rights of Africans. Having been touched by the warmth of Africans during my own time working in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, I recognized that Lewis shared a deep respect for the people of that continent, something rarely expressed by world leaders.

He carried that same sense of responsibility into everything he did. When a person is given advantages, he believed, they are meant to use them to lift others. Otherwise, life becomes meaningless.

At the time I first met Lewis, I was developing a new high school course on social justice and genocide. I was grateful that after his speech, Lewis talked to individuals and answered our questions. What he shared has proven very useful in my teaching, and it is a reminder that his legacy was not only built on the world stage but in the lives he influenced directly.

In 1984, former Conservative prime minister Brian Mulroney asked Lewis to be the Canadian Ambassador to the United Nations. The significance of Mulroney’s decision to reach across party lines cannot be overstated. To Mulroney, Lewis’s character and ability meant more than his political affiliation. Lewis would later serve as the UN’s special envoy on HIV/AIDS in Africa.

Canada became a respected player on the international scene, despite our small population. Conversations among Lewis, Mulroney, and his Secretary of State for External Affairs, Joe Clark, led Canada to play a meaningful role in challenging the apartheid regime in South Africa, including support for sanctions and coordinated action through the Commonwealth.

Canada punched far above its weight on this issue, despite resistance from both Margaret Thatcher of Britain and Ronald Reagan in the United States. Eventually, both powers succumbed to international pressure, and South Africa was forced to end its apartheid regime. Nelson Mandela, who went on to become the first president elected by a majority in South Africa, acknowledged the role of the international community, including Canada, during his visit here in 1990.

For a time, Canada’s voice carried real weight on the world stage because it was willing to act with moral clarity and stand by its principles. Canada no longer carries the same weight internationally, not because of its size, but because it no longer has the clarity or resolve to lead. That is what we have lost. It is sad to see what Canada has become since those years when it was willing to lead.

None of us lives forever, but the legacy we leave endures. Rest in peace, Stephen Lewis. Thank you for your tremendous gift to Canada and to humanity. You showed us how to live with purpose, integrity, and meaning.

Gerry Chidiac specializes in languages and genocide studies and works with at-risk students. He received an award from the Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre for excellence in teaching about the Holocaust.