(38. – 925.) The Mighty Hughes by Craig McInnes – Ted Hughes has led a life that
humbles the reader. He has worked into his 90th year on public
service striving to make Canada a better country.
He grew up in Saskatoon and after
high school attended the University of Saskatchewan. He graduated with his law
degree in 1950. In an era where young lawyers were paid very modestly he
hitchhiked the 140 km from North Battleford to Saskatoon on Saturdays to visit
his girlfriend, Helen, and attend chuch. He would take the bus back on Sunday
nights.
Love blossomed and he married Helen
in 1954. Her father, an Anglican minister, presided at his church, St. John the
Evangelist.
Ted remained in private practice
through the 1950’s though he found charging for his services awkward,
especially with clients who had limited resources:
“That was the reason, and the principal reason, why I wasn’t
happy in private practice. I hated the billing part of it and rendering
accounts.”
Interested in politics he became an
active member of the Progressive Conservative Party. The 1950’s were a good
time to be a Saskatchewan supporter of the federal PC’s. The party leader, John
Diefenbaker, was from Saskatchewan and became Prime Minister in 1957.
It was an era where it was rare to
see a Canadian lawyer appointed to a superior court position without being a
member of the federal governing party. With impeccable party credentials Ted
was duly considered for the bench and appointed in 1962 when he was 35.
One of my regrets in reading the
book was that he did not want to come to Melfort in 1962 where the position was
allocated. Since he chose not to reside in Melfort we have not had a resident
superior court judge.
One of the reasons I wanted to read The Mighty Hughes was because I appeared
before Ted Hughes when he was Mr. Justice Hughes of the Saskatchewan Court of
Queen’s Bench in the late 1970’s. I wish I could say I remembered specific
cases. I do remember he was a good judge and well respected by the bar.
He enjoyed being a judge and
presided over the family property trial of Colin Thatcher and JoAnn Wilson, one
of the most contentious family property trials in Saskatchewan history. He
rejected claims by Thatcher that his father only intended gifts of property to
be for his son and a further claim that there was a secret trust of property
for Thatcher and his mother. Some believe the judgment was the catalyst for Ms.
Wilson being shot and some time later murdered. (I have written about
Thatcher’s murder trial in posts related to Thatcher’s book, Final Appeal – Anatomy of a Frame.)
Unhappy with both the process of
picking a new Chief Justice for the Court of Queen’s Bench in Saskatchewan and
the actions of some colleagues on the bench he resigned his position, after
prudently arranging a pension, and moved to Victoria, British Columbia to take
up a modest position with the B.C. government as a Legal Officer Specialist.
At 53 Ted was starting a new career.
His abilities and hard work were recognized and he soon became Deputy Attorney
General. While carrying out all the many tasks of that position he started
chairing government inquiries into individual cases and broader based
issues.
In 1990, now 63, he became the first
conflict on interest commissioner for B.C. Early in his time in that position
he investigated and found some provincial ministers to have breached the
guidelines. He built a reputation of integrity.
Ted became famous when the Premier,
Bill Vander Zalm, called on him to investigate and report on the Premier’s dealings,
while Premier, with regard to a business venture, Fantasy Gardens, and a Chinese
investor. In my next post I discuss Ted’s investigation and explore some of his
thoughts on politics as a profession.
During his mid-70’s Ted took on
developing an arbitration program to adjudicate thousands of claims from former
Indian residential school students that they were physically and/or sexually
abused while in school. He established a system that managed to deal with the
huge number of claims. I had some cases proceed through the hearings. While I
do not agree with how some claims were dealt with it was a system that was
considerably quicker than going through individual court actions.
In his 80’s he conducted an inquiry
into the death of Phoenix Sinclair in Manitoba. The 5 year old Indigenous girl,
residing with her mother and stepfather, in the last months of her life “was
sadistically beaten with a handle from a refrigerator and an iron rod. When she
died, her mother and Mackay wrapped her lifeless body in plastic and buried it
in a shallow grave near the town dump.” In his report he discussed the failings
of the provincial child welfare system and the inequities facing Indigenous
people in Canada.
Approaching 90 Ted was involved in a
task force on homelessness in Victoria.
While devoted to making Canada a
better place his character may be best demonstrated by the reaction of staff at
the Hotel Saskatchewan in Regina where he stayed extensively over several years
while working on the Indian Residential Schools Claims:
When he finished in 2008, the hotel staff who had been
serving him in the bar and dining room presented him with a plaque that read, “In
Appreciation of your Kindness, Warmth and Generosity that you’ve shown us at
the Hotel Saskatchewan. It has been a Great Honour getting to know you. We wish
you all very Best in your Future.”
He has earned his description as “Western
Canada’s Moral Compass.”
You cannot help thinking as you read
the book that you, as a reader, should do more public service for your
community, province and nation.
What a fascinating person, Bill! I can certainly see how you would have so much admiration for Hughes. There aren't many people like him, who would devote themselves in that way to public service. I'm especially impressed with his commitment to service regardless of people's socioeconomic situations.
ReplyDeleteMargot: Thanks for the comment. Few among us truly commit to public service. Fewer yet are willing to work for the betterment of the highest to lowest in society.
DeleteThanks for drawing my attention to Mr. Hughes. I wasn’t aware of him and look forward to borrowing this book over the holidays.
ReplyDeleteJonathan: Thanks for the comment. I will put in on your night table.
DeleteLove,
Dad
It's good to be reminded that people like this do exist, and live lives of great value and worth... and as you say, we can hope to be inspired by them.
ReplyDeleteMoira: Thanks for the comment. I hope it is my children's generation that will take up the challenge of public service.
Delete