Paying tribute to longtime MLA

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This article was published 11/04/2016 (3708 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Roughly 100 people filled the Western Manitoba Centennial Auditorium on Sunday to pay tribute to former Brandon East NDP MLA Len Evans.

Throughout the two-hour memorial service, colleagues, friends and family shared stories about a proud democratic socialist, a dedicated family man and an avid accordionist. Joining the podium onstage was a table set with a flickering candle, a glass of red wine and an accordion waiting to be squeezed.

Leonard Salusbury Evans was born in Transcona on Aug. 19, 1929, and passed away on Jan. 2, 2016, after suffering a heart attack.

Former ambassador to the United States Gary Doer and former attorney general Al Mackling made the trip to Brandon to share stories about their comrade. Messages were also read from friends and co-workers who could not attend the service in person, including former governor general Edward Schreyer and NDP Leader Greg Selinger.

Brandon East NDP incumbent Drew Caldwell acted as master of ceremonies and it was obvious during his opening address that a provincial election is only a week away.

In between outlining the many triumphs of Evans’ 30-year career in the legislature, Caldwell spoke about his party’s ongoing contributions to Brandon and Manitoba and took digs at the Progressive Conservatives.

Caldwell first met Evans as a member of a Brandon University students group concerned with the policies of Sterling Lyon’s Conservative government.

“History seems to repeat itself, but as part of his policy initiatives (Lyon) introduce a sweeping program of massive provincial cuts,” he said from the podium.

Caldwell also spoke fondly of the mentor he succeeded in Brandon East in 1999.

“Len was the most generous, thoughtful, kind, dedicated, spirited and principled politician I have ever met,” Caldwell said. “He was a man that we could all aspire to and measure our own work as politicians against.”

Doer shared his impressions of Evans as a hard-working cabinet member who always stood by the people he represented. The former premier also lauded Evans’ economic and social justice work as a minister in the cabinets of premiers Schreyer and Howard Pawley.

“It reflected the dimensions of character and skill of the man that he was able to carry both economic and social portfolios with two successive premiers in a very, very credible way,” Doer said.

Doer also spoke about Evans’ opposition of the Meech Lake Accord and the infrastructure built in Brandon during his reign. Evans was also apparently not one to get his feathers ruffled.

“Len was very calm, a lot of people get very agitated when theres a negative story in the press or when somebody’s catching an unfortunate grenade during question period — he was always extremely calm, I only saw him upset twice,” Doer said.

Evans’ children, Randy, Janet and Brenda, shared touching memories about the politician’s hobbies and personality.

Evans got his first taste of politics as a high school student involved in with the Winnipeg chapter of Canada’s first socialist party, the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation. During university, he started his first band.

“It was during these years that he formed the Len Evans Band, which played at socials, weddings and dances — earning, on average, $8 a night,” Janet said, adding that her father met his future wife, Alice, at such an event.

Janet says the family spent 15 years moving around the country before settling in Brandon when Evans got a job as an economics professor at BU.

While Alice was looking forward to a quieter life in the Wheat City, it wasn’t long before Evans got involved in local politics and won the Brandon East seat in 1969.

“When dad entered the political arena, the whole family was thrust into the fray,” Janet said.

The busy politician was also a dedicated patriarch, according to Brenda.

“As a dad, he was a loving father and openly expressed his affection for us. He often said he would be happy if we never ever left home,” Brenda said, adding that he loved giving presents and had a sweet tooth.

Brenda also spoke about Evans’ “inspirational” love of their mother — which was evident when Alice fell ill and passed away in June last year.

“He had difficulty coming to terms with her death … dad was heartbroken. Perhaps therefore it’s not surprising that we lost our father so soon after our mother passed away,” Brenda said.

Evans’ grandson Devon, spoke about staying with his grandparents in Winnipeg while he attended college — his favourite memories include taking care of their cat “Rusty” and staying up late with Evans and Alice.

“My first fall in Winnipeg … I learned that they were both night owls. I didn’t expect that my grandparents would stay up later than a college-aged kid on a nightly basis,” Devon said, adding that he admire his grandfather’s dedication to community after retirement. “He accomplished so much in his lifetime … yet he always remained grounded.”

The memorial service ended with a video presentation chronicling Evans’ life and a moment of silence.

As the crowd filtered out of the auditorium, the upbeat inhale and exhale of an accordion wafted through the WMCA’s foyer.

The family has set up a scholarship fund in memory of Evans at BU.

Donations for the Len Evans scholarship fund are being accepted at the university. Cheques should be made payable to “Brandon University Foundation” and can be sent to the Brandon University Foundation at 270 18th Street, Brandon MB, R7A 6A9.

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