John Harvard: a self-made journalist, politician

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This article was published 11/01/2016 (3595 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

John Harvard was thinking out loud, remembering the very moment which may have politicized his life. He recalled the spring of 1952. His mother woke him from a deep sleep to tell him that King George VI has died. It was her tone — deeply solemn, reverent, full of loss — that stirred him. It struck him then that there was a big, meaningful world out there beyond the quiet, tightly knit Icelandic community of Glenboro, a world about which he knew nothing, but one he wanted to know and understand.

Neither mother nor son could have imagined that the sleepy child of that long ago night would be elected to Parliament four times, and would eventually serve the next monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, as her personal representative in Manitoba.

Harvard — nobody called him John — told me this story with panache, as he told all the stories of his life, from all its stages. On that day, he was dapper, animated, almost theatrical in his voice and gestures, attributes which served him well in broadcast journalism, in politics, and in his ceremonial role as lieutenant-governor of Manitoba. He agreed to be interviewed for a video biography, one of a series sponsored by the Association Of Former Manitoba MLAs intended to interest young people in political life.

Harvard, at the moment, was dying, but he rose to the occasion of a last interview, as fully present as he was in good health.

The 11th of 14 children, two of whom did not survive to adulthood, Harvard had no access to a university education. Sensing that journalism could provide a reasonable substitute, he moved quickly from rural to city jobs, first making a name for himself as an aggressive radio host with CJOB. Journalism in the 1970s was still a man’s world, macho conservatism was the prevailing sympathy, and a youthful Harvard fit the bill.

He surprised Winnipeggers when he joined the CBC, throwing his talents into a totally different, politically left/centrist ring. A local media reviewer for then Winnipeg Magazine noted Harvard’s punchy success on the popular, supper-time current affairs show 24 Hours; his bold questions regularly stopped a fork on its way to the mouth and caused dinner to grow cold as he shredded yet another guest. Harvard would take home ACTRA’s equivalent of an Oscar before he was done with broadcast journalism.

A high profile success at age 50 with superb name recognition, and admittedly tired of journalism, Harvard was a logical candidate for political office. In 1988, he again surprised Winnipeggers by running in Winnipeg St. James for the Liberals. He was a relentless campaigner, an amiable winner and a hardworking constituency man, but after four victories, he stepped aside to give fellow Liberal and former mayor Glen Murray a shot at a seat. Murray lost, but Harvard’s prize was the role of a lifetime as Manitoba’s 23rd lieutenant-governor.

In his last interview, Harvard lamented what he calls “the professionalization” of current politics.

“There are too many so-called advisers, consultants and what have you, boys in short pants for whom the only important thing is winning, managing appearances and who, basically, are interfering with the agenda of things that really need to be done.”

The highlight of his career, he says, was witnessing the legalization of same sex marriage in 2005, which he admits was a long and tortured path through parliamentary politics. “To see so many people finally escape the persistent persecution they experienced for so long… that was beyond wonderful.” He has high hopes that Canada’s indigenous people will also find their rightful place in Canadian society.

Our former LG had a closet full of enviable tributes, medals and appointments to honourable orders, but he had one few people knew about: He was the only honorary member of Winnipeg’s Emma Goldman Society, named for the American iconoclast and hellraiser of the early 20th century.

We were a small group of uppity women writers who met for lunch to rant about injustices and energize each other to “keep on keeping on,” keep our faith in a better world. We all knew Harvard, his great, barking laugh and ribald sense of humour, recognized his compassion and respected, perhaps above all, his genuine ambitions for a progressive Canada.

Shortly after Harvard moved into the lieutenant-governor’s mansion, we paid him a surprise visit, looking properly prim, complete with hats and white gloves. The staff were perplexed at the sight of us.

The Honorary Emma laughed his hearty laugh and served us tea by the fire.

 

Lesley Hughes is a Winnipeg writer and broadcaster.