Comforting the afflicted and afflicting the comfortable - Marion Dewar
Marion Dewar (Canadian Encyclopedia & Equal Voice bios) was one of my absolute favorite public officials, she was no nonsence, principled and did work that was considered impossible or outrageous when proposed and is just simply the norm today. She took risks, stook to her guns and cut to the chase. We have had no equivalent in Ottawa and dare I say in the rest of the country. Today is her funeral. In Chinatown this morning, 5 doors from my home, in a CCOC building right beside a City Living Housing Project across from Lebreton Flats we see people dressed in their best freshly ironed and crispy clean mourning clothes walking toward’s her son, Paul Dewar’s campaign office in preparation for the funeral. I also saw freshly polished black Embassy of Vietnam vehicules getting ready for the procession, and many members of the Asian Community gathering to pay their last respects to the grand dame that welcomed them to our city when they were boat people refugees.
Today, the neighbourhood is sad and the city mourns as we have lost one of the last few remaining officials who took risks, stood up for what is right, and as Alex Munter said of the woman who exercised power to comfort the afflicted and afflicted the comfortable.
