Not surprisingly, upon learning of the January 11 passing of former federal NDP Leader Ed Broadbent nobody asked me about him.
I suppose that as Ed’s career developed many of his older ‘cronies’ fell by the wayside. You see, I knew Ed Broadbent early in his emergence as a national social democrat.
He, along with fellow grad student John Brewin, whose father Andrew was a noted CCF member of Parliament, formed in classes as a pair of dedicated debaters on social and economic issues. Brewin later entered Parliament although for a much shorter time than Broadbent.
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For three years in graduate school at the University of Toronto, Broadbent and I shared classes, laughs and numerous debates. Ed was a political science graduate with his PhD in political theory, or philosophy if you choose. He completed his PhD thesis under one of Canada’s most brilliant political theorists, C. B. (Brough) Macpherson. It was that same C.B. Macpherson who put me through the hoops during my oral examination in political theory.
“Mr. Brown-John, can you tell me the differences between ‘possessive individualism’ and utility theory?” You see, Macpherson had recently published his analysis of several major British social philosophers in a book titled ‘The Political Theory of Possessive Individualism.’
Methinks that Ed Broadbent would have achieved much better than I under C.B ‘s withering questions. Ed was a natural deep thinker and philosophy was his immersive field.
Indeed, Ed obtained his PhD in 1966 while I explored the dismal world of Canadian diplomacy as a legal officer for a few years and finally, once resident in Windsor, completing my PhD in political science and international law in December 1971.
Broadbent was sheer delight in a grad class. Slightly older than most of the rest of us and a fully committed democratic socialist he never hesitated to challenge, as indeed he should have, our often quite-learned professors. Remarkably serious and always intent he nevertheless could conjure a laugh in classes.
And almost always a question or comment ended with that almost perfect smile of his.
In those early 1960s the University of Toronto had the wisdom to retain a tie between economics and politics. In practice, we were grad students in the Department of Political Economy.
This entitled us to take tea or coffee and biscuits in faculty lounge on the 5th floor of U of T’s Sydney Smith building.
Perhaps in that lounge, more than in any classroom, learning took place. Faculty, from both economics and politics, comfortably ensconced in large sofas and sofa chairs, would discuss and debate virtually any theoretical or even contemporary subject.
Ed Broadbent was always game for an intellectual verbal contest. Ed was four years older than I so there was a tendency to look towards his experience as lead. However, he never went unchallenged as some notable Canadian economists engaged in debate.
The learning curve at the faculty lounge was astounding.
As Ed’s career broadened politically we lost direct contact. Nonetheless, I was always delighted to see him in action. Indeed, after the 1980 federal election when Ed’s New Democrats took 32 seats, Vancouver Sun editorial cartoonist Roy Peterson (whose cartoons I had used in a book on Canadian public financial management) sent me an original of one of his cartoons depicting Ed Broadbent dreaming of the Prime Minister’s job.
In later years, when Ed Broadbent visited the Department of Political Science at the University of Windsor, we bantered. Then he gave a talk. Then we took time over lunch and a beer at the DH (Dominion House) where we laughed and reminisced.
When we parted that last afternoon I suppose I imagined that we would meet again. We never did.
“Few Ottawa politicians since,” as my late PoliSci colleague Richard Price would have said,’ would have been fit to carry Ed Broadbent’s luggage.” I agree.
Canada has lost a unique and intensely focused political thinker and a truly civilized politician. Canadians are now much poorer.
Lloyd Brown-John is a University of Windsor professor emeritus of political science. He can be reached at lbj@uwindsor.ca.
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