It is, as far as anyone knows, the first time that former Premier Brian Pallister had stepped back into the Manitoba Legislature since he resigned as Premier of the province almost five years ago. He returned on the last Thursday in March to help unveil his Premier’s portrait which has now taken its place alongside those who served before him in that role.
As he approached the microphone to address the room full of invited guests, he asked the question aloud that many people were wondering quietly. Lots of people have asked me where I have been, Pallister said. They wonder why they haven’t heard anything from me since I left, when before, they couldn’t get me to stop talking. The room roared in laughter. In the speech that followed it was clear that Pallister’s passion for Manitoba and politics still burned strong. And as to the question of where he has been, well, he has been spending lots of time outdoors. As he always loved to do.
That was made forever clear in the portrait of Pallister that pictures him standing outdoors, near High Bluff in the municipality of Portage la Prairie. Behind him is the Assiniboine River as Pallister stands, surveying the horizon. The design that former Premier’s choose for their portraits speak to things very personal. For Pallister, he explained that this is the area he grew up, and that it marks the first Premier’s portrait that portrays an outdoors scene. It is a fitting tribute that clearly shows what he valued the most.
The event was also a chance for the staff and elected officials of the Pallister government to reunite. For many, it was the first time they had seen each other in half a decade. For those that saw the recent unveiling of Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s portrait, it was a similar type of event where people reunited to both mark the occasion, and reminisce about a shared time.
For myself and my wife, it was a wonderful evening of reconnecting with people whom we shared and intense and interesting time of life. Many of my own former staff were in attendance and it was great to hear of the incredible things that they are doing in a variety of areas since departing the Legislature. Working and serving in a government is a very intense period and some days feel like years, and some years fly by like days. And, perhaps not surprisingly, when there is a gathering like this many years after a government has ended, there isn’t as much talk about specific initiatives or events as you might think. What is most discussed is an appreciation that as a group of people, there was a shared experience that at times was very rewarding and at times was just simply hard. But that in the end left those who had experienced it with a greater understanding of their province and what makes it so special.
As Pallister went through his speech, a number of common themes continued to arise. The need to make life more affordable and leave more money in the pockets of Manitobans and the importance of interprovincial trade to name just a couple. But at the end of the evening what will be remembered most was the portrait of a Premier who loves his province and a group of people who came alongside because they shared that love.
