'He has surely earned his rest': B.C. pays tribute to former premier Dave Barrett in state memorial

There were tributes, tears and laughter at the University of Victoria Saturday morning, as former B.C. premier Dave Barrett was remembered at an official state memorial. 

"He displayed one of the true attributes of a leader: he made hard decisions," said Lt.-Gov. Judith Guichon, who began a series of tributes to Barrett to around 1,000 people attending the service at the Farquhar Auditorium.

"He has surely earned his rest."

Barrett, who died last month at the age of 87 after many years with Alzheimer's, was the first NDP premier in British Columbia's history. He came to power in 1972, after a 20-year reign by W.A.C. Bennett and the Social Credit Party.

"We really didn't think we could beat him. Dave did," said Bob Williams, who served in Barrett's cabinet. "[He] wandered the province, captivating more and more as time went on.

"The morning after the election, Dave phoned me up, and said 'hey, I guess we've got some work to do!'"

Over 350 bills passed

Speaker after speaker talked about the numerous accomplishments of Barrett's government in its three years in power: creating public auto insurer ICBC and the agricultural land reserve, raising the minimum wage and passing the B.C. Human Rights Code, abolishing corporal punishment, preserving Cypress Bowl, a provincial park in West Vancouver, from development, and much more.

"No government in Canadian history accomplished so much in so little time," said Marc Eliesen, Barrett's deputy minister.

More than 350 bills were passed by the government, with Barrett moving aggressively on his goals of helping British Columbia's more vulnerable citizens and modernizing the mechanisms of government.

"He brought us Hansard, question period, offices for opposition members," said Premier John Horgan.

"Now that's a novelty. I don't know why we still do that."

It was one of several times in Horgan's speech where he emulated the former's premier's self-deprecating humour.

"I didn't realize at the time as a child … that when the government of the day abolished corporal punishment they were doing me a favour," he said.

Long career after premiership

Barrett's government was defeated after three years, but he had the longest post-premiership political career of any B.C. leader in modern time. 

He led the NDP for another decade, before going into federal politics as MP for Esquimalt—Juan de Fuca from 1988 to 1993. He then chaired a public commission into the leaky condo crisis in Vancouver, and stayed a mentor to a new generation of politicians. 

"If you were fortunate enough to hear Dave Barrett speak, you never forgot it," said Joy MacPhail, who recounted a time she was lamenting to Barrett how difficult it was to be the party's leader after the 2001 election, where the NDP were relegated to two MLAs to the B.C. Liberal Party's 77. 

"Listen Joy," she recalled Barrett saying to her. "Two of you and 77 of those sons of bitches, that's a fair match!"

Horgan also recounted Barrett's oratorical skills, saying his speech at a 1983 rally against the Social Credit government's austerity measures inspired him to become an NDP member. 

"Dave had an ability to capture your heart, mind and soul," said Horgan.

He added that while Barrett would have been pleased with the crowd who attended his memorial service, he would have liked to be there "to pass the hat around for (donations for) the next campaign."

Horgan, along with former New Democrat premiers Glen Clark and Dan Miller, and another 500 NDP members, will gather in Vancouver to celebrate Barrett's life.

With files from The Canadian Press