Stevie Cameron, author of "On the Farm: Robert Pickton and the Tragic Story of Vancouver's Missing Women," is an investigative journalist, commentator and humanitarian. Winner of the Crime Writers of Canada Arthur Ellis Award, she is known for bringing scandals to the public eye. Her passions for writing, uncovering and dissecting the stories of the day have earned her acclaim as one of Canada's foremost journalists. She lives in Toronto.
Of course our political discourse isn't civil. It's vindictive, mean-spirited, envious and stupid. It's unbecoming to the people we count on to run our country, and it's no wonder Canadians are so often disappointed and embarrassed by their politicians. But something has happened that reminded me it doesn't have to be like this.
When Keith Davey died on Jan. 17, it was no accident that there were three visitations at the Humphrey Funeral Home in Toronto. It was no accident that the vast sanctuary at Timothy Eaton Memorial Church was full. It was no accident that the people there came from every political party - even our bellicose new mayor, Rob Ford, was there, eager to absorb some of the magic - and no accident that many were not politicians at all, but regular folk.
Isn't this interesting when you think that Keith Davey was diagnosed with Alzheimer's 15 years ago and had been in a nursing home for the past eight years?
Civil discourse was what Keith Davey was all about. He invited me to breakfast at the Park Plaza the first time to find out why I was so hard on Brian Mulroney. He looked for the best in people and found it hard to believe my stories in The Globe and Mail. But like many journalists before me, I found him to be a wonderful friend. This was a man who played politics very hard, who played to win, who was cunning - but who was never out to destroy enemies. He didn't have enemies, he had opponents.
In his eulogy, Tom Axworthy, Pierre Trudeau's former principal secretary and now head of the Gordon Foundation in Toronto, told the story of a being a young political activist who attacked someone he disagreed with. "Keith took me aside afterward," he told the mourners, "and said, 'I'd like to give you a word of advice. People you see as your opponents today will be your friends and allies tomorrow. Always do a favour, never carry a grudge.' "
I have met many successful people in politics who define civil discourse - Duff Roblin, Alexa McDonough, Mira and Sidney Spivak, Flora MacDonald, Russell MacLellan, Gordon Campbell, Bob Rae and Roy Romanow. Peter Lougheed, too, although I've never met him, just written about him. What's their secret? Well, as Keith Davey showed us, a sense of humour, kindness and beautiful manners seem to be the magic ingredients. And the last two can be taught.