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Brian Tobin Feature
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As Brian Tobin admits in the acknowledgements to All In Good Time, he is a reluctant author. But when Penguin's editorial director told him that if he didn't want to write his memoir a political journalist might be interested in doing it, he knew it was time to tell his story in his own words. Read about the life and career of the passionate politician known as "Captain Canada" in our special feature below... |
An Interview with Brian Tobin
Q: Many autobiographies are written at the end of a career. What spurred you to share your autobiography at this point in your life and work?
A: Very largely an approach by Penguin Canada to me in the person of Diane Turbide with a suggestion for a book at this time. In fact my initial response was not to do a book at all, but Diane and the folks at Penguin were persisent and upon reflection I decided that I would work with John Lawrence Reynolds, who is an outstanding author in his own right and was a superb collaborator for me.
Also, I think this book is timely because many people have been asking why I've stepped aside at the end of a 22-year career, when I've had what appeared by many commentators to be a career path that has moved me towards the next leadership campaign and challenging colleagues for the post when the Prime Minister leaves. I think the book gave me an opportunity to both reflect upon that career and my participation in some important public policy issues over the last 20 years. At the same time I would want it to give people a sense of the private side of a public life and the kind of private considerations that are brought to bear on a politician's career decisions. It was private considerations that caused me to leave public life and so all of that is reflected in the book as well.
Q: What is the best reason to get into politics? What did you hope you hope to achieve when you entered the political fray at the ripe young age of 25?
A: The most important reason to get into politics is a real passion for public policy, a real desire to be involved in the debate about our community, our country, what it should look like, how it should serve all our citizens. If that isn't the foundation stone upon which any political career is built, then there is a serious problem. So I never say that there is anything wrong at all — in fact I believe there is plenty right with young people who are still very idealistic, still very passionate about their beliefs getting involved in politics. I happen to think that young people bring a lot of renewal to the political process.
And so what I say to any aspiring politician is that if you feel deeply, if you feel strongly, there are two ways you can go: you can be a cynic sitting on the sidelines criticizing those who are involved or you can avoid that easy, seductive path of cynicism. It is so easy to be a cynic. It requires no skill, no energy, no imagination, no brain power, just a cynic's attitude. You can avoid that easy path and you can roll up your sleeves and get involved yourself, either as a candidate or directly in the political process. It's not easy, but it's tremendously rewarding.
Q: What is the worst thing about being a politician? What has been your greatest challenge to date?
A: The worst thing? Occasionally noticing the slings and arrows of the cynics. Those who sit on the sidelines in splendid comfort, never engaging themselves in the process, never attempting to mess up their own hands by digging in and trying to be part of the building process but who are always terribly critical of everything those who are engaged in public life are attempting to do. Now to be perfectly blunt, that isn't so terrible, but it's there.
The more substantive thing for those who are engaged in public life is the loss of privacy and, in particular, the loss of privacy for families. Families don't run, they don't get their name on the ballot, they don't choose to be involved but nevertheless, because a parent or brother or sister gets involved, they indirectly suffer a loss of privacy as well. Let me just give you a case in point: the attention paid to George Bush's daughters over a drinking violation is, in my mind, absolutely ridiculous. Who would normally pay attention to a 19-year-old having a beer? Albeit in the state of Texas, it's illegal. But nevertheless, it's not as if it never happened before or that when it does happen it's worth paying attention to, but because their parent happened to be the President of the United States, they found themselves being commented on around the world.
You and I of course never had a beer at 19 or 18.
Q: If there is one issue Canadians should be thinking about right now, what would you say it is?
A: Clearly, as we're going to see in the days ahead, health care is going to be an incredibly important issue for us. I think it's very important that the debate not be a simplistic debate where people are telling us the choice is between public health care and private health care. To my mind, that is a false debate and will cause us to lose sight of a real need to reform the system. The debate should also not be reduced to just a question of money, because, quite frankly, if the money for healthcare is not being properly and efficiently utilitized then there isn't enough money in the world to continue to support a system that is inefficient or not properly managed. So the real issue ought to be about reform. How do we get the greatest possible benefit for the public dollar that's being spent? And by the way, there is nothing wrong with utilizing the private sector to deliver public policy. The issue here isn't whether we should scrap the public system for a private system, the issue is whether or not we can use private sector disciplines to deliver our public sector system more efficiently.
Q: And in terms of Joe and Jane Citizen? Do you have a vision of what they can do to get involved in this debate?
A: I think Jane and Joe Citizen are sending a signal which some are painting as a confused signal. Every poll that's done shows two things: Canadians want the healthcare system sustained and they want more money available to it, but in the next breath Canadians say they don't want their taxes raised to pay for it. Some people take that as proof that Canadians are confused and I don't think they're confused at all. I think they're sending a signal — give me a more efficient, more productive, more sustainable system. Don't fix the problem by taking more of my money, fix the problem by reforming the existing system and making the current dollars that are being spent go farther by being spent better.
Q: If you hadn't gone into politics, what do you imagine you might have done for a living?
A: Good question. I think I probably would have been involved in public policy in some way, perhaps as a journalist, perhaps as a writer.
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All In Good Time
Beginnings
Born to a working-class family of nine children, Brian Tobin's political inclinations were first exercised at an early age. In his third year of high school — at a time in history when students across North America were in a fever of political engagement — Tobin and a band of fellow students skipped school and marched to the town hall to protest the elimination of their extracurricular activities. An outspoken leader for the protest, Brian was dressed down by his school principal. One short week later, however Brian was surprised to hear he was elected as President of his student council.
Brian's first taste of politics was soon followed by a focus on political science at Memorial University in St. John's and a post as assistant to Liberal Opposition Leader Bill Rowe in 1978. During this period, Tobin learned invaluable lessons about politics:
It wasn't just political wisdom [that men like Bill Rowe, and later, Don Jamieson] passed on to me. It was the ability to observe the intricacies of politics and public service. Too often, we grow fascinated by the dramatics of one and overlook the demands of the other.
This wisdom was put to work in 1979 when — on a mission to find a Liberal candidate for Humber-Port au Port-St. Barbe which was meeting with apologetic smiles and shakes of the head — Tobin himself ran for MP. Knocking on doors till his knuckles ached, Tobin won by almost 4,000 votes. He was only 25 years old.
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Rising in the Ranks
Decamping for Ottawa soon after his election, Brian Tobin's budding political career was spent in the company of such icons as Pierre Elliott Trudeau, Jean Chrétien, René Lévesque and Marc Lalonde. After the 1984 election of Tory Brian Mulroney, he also joined a clique of spirited and outspoken young MPs dubbed "The Rat Pack" by Canadian media. The sometimes outlandish tactics of the Rat Pack reflected their passion for politics. As Tobin puts it:
I cannot and will not aplogize for the Rat Pack's overall strategy. Nor would I be overly critical of any party, facing an overwhelming majority across the floor of the House, employing the tactics we used. Politics can be a messy business at times...The truth of the matter is, if you have passion for the values you want to pursue and defend, there are times when refinement becomes as advantageous as the colour of the shoes you happen to be wearing that day.
Tobin's strength and passion paid off when he was tapped by Jean Chretien in 1993 to join the PM's cabinet as minister of fisheries as oceans.As Tobin fondly recalls:
Whenever I see the photo of that newly sworn in cabinet I smile, because I recall what I and everyone else in that picture was feeling: after all those years in the trenches, we were being given the opportunity to serve the way we had dreamed about.
Triumph of the Turbot, Captain Canada
Of the many initiatives Tobin put forward while in service to the PM's cabinet, his stand on turbot stock gained him the most notoriety both at home and abroad. Tobin's efforts to protect fish stock off the shores of Canada came to a head in an explosive conflict with Spain on March 9th, 1995, when he granted permission to fire four bursts of machine-gun fire across a Spanish trawler's bow. The first time a Canadian ship had fired at another naval vessel in over 50 years, the Estai incident was a signature attempt by the man called "Captain Canada" to fight not only against illegal fishing on the Grand Banks of Newfoundland but to protect Canadian identity. As he noted in defence of EU criticism: "It's not the mark of a pirate to reach out in desperation at the eleventh hour and try to save the last fish stock on the Grand Banks. It's the mark of a patriot."
Tobin's patriotism is perhaps most evident in his participation in the Montreal Unity Rally in 1995. One week before the Quebec Referendum was scheduled to occur, polls reported that the "No" side was losing support. With the breakup of Canada seemingly imminent Tobin decided it was time to act. To give support to the federalist cause, to prove that Canadians really did care about Quebec, Tobin led a movement to get a major rally organized in Montreal. With the support of Air Canada and VIA Rail along with politicians nation-wide, Tobin got over 100,000 people to Montreal on Friday October 27th 1995. Whether this led to a "No" vote or not is hard to measure, but, at the very least, Canadians' belief in a united country was reconfirmed. As Tobin said, looking up at the stars on his way back to Ottawa from Montreal, "It's a beautiful evening...the stars are still shining on the best country in the world."
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Looking Ahead
Weathering the turbot wars and the referendum was excellent training for the challenges Tobin faced when he was elected Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador in 1996. During his two-term stint as Premier, Tobin hosted Her Majesty The Queen and the PM of Ireland at celebrations to mark the 50th anniversary of the arrival in Newfoundland of explorer John Cabot. He was also involved in major educational reforms, a health care crisis and a tug of war between Inco and Voisey's Bay.
But in 2000, Tobin reassessed his involvement in politics. When his beloved father fell ill and died from lung cancer in October 2000, Tobin was shattered. As he explains:
No one escapes the impact of the death of a parent, and I was no exception. My father had been a strong, if often silent, presence throughout my life. Many times during my political career, when I was facing a serious problem or questioning one thing or another, I would call my father and discuss it with him...When he died, I lost not just a parent whom I had loved and respected all of my life. I also lost a special source of understanding.
Though he returned to Ottawa to become Minister of Industry later the same year, Tobin recently decided to step down from politics to spend more time with his family in January 2002. Will he return to politics? Will he take up the Liberal leadership mantle in the future? While Tobin never says never, he remains firm in his resolution to watch politics from the sidelines for awhile.
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| Timeline |
| 1954: |
Born in Stephenville, Newfoundland on 21 October to Vince and Florence Tobin |
| 1977: |
Married Jodean Smith |
| 1978: |
Aide to Liberal Opposition leader in Newfoundland |
| 1980: |
Elected to House of Commons as MP for Humber-St. Barbe-Baie Verte
Appointed Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans |
| 1984: |
Won re-election as MP for Humber-St. Barbe-Baie Verte |
| 1988: |
Won re-election as MP for Humber-St. Barbe-Baie Verte |
| 1989: |
Elected chair of the national Liberal caucus |
| 1993: |
Won re-election as MP for Humber-St. Barbe-Baie Verte Appointed Minister of Fisheries and Oceans
Served as member of the 1993 Liberal national campaign and national platform committees |
| 1995: |
Was lead participant in Montreal's Unity Rally |
| 1996: |
Elected Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador |
| 1999: |
Re-elected for second term as Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador |
| 2000: |
Named Minister of Industry by Prime Minister Chrétien and elected to the House of Commons |
| 2002: |
Resigned from politics |
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