LIFE AND LEGACY — Respected. Humble. Decent. Common words friends and colleagues use to describe the late ED BROADBENT, who died at the age of 87. — In memoriam: Follow this link to a growing Google doc where we’ve gathered more than 70 tributes so far to Broadbent, a politician and elder statesman best known as Ed. — Larger than life: The human rights campaigner with the golden reputation from Oshawa was a massive figure in Canadian politics. He founded a very influential think-tank of the left. He inspired generations to take up the fight for social justice. And from his stunning 15-vote win in 1968 to his rocketing to political stardom in the ‘80s and political comeback in the 2000s (accompanied by a famously cheesy rap video), he had a heck of a career. — ‘Iconic for all the right reasons’: Former Ottawa city councilor CATHERINE MCKENNEY was a close friend and legislative assistant to Broadbent when he was MP for Ottawa-Centre from 2004 to 2006. “I got hired to manage him, actually, and he's not easy to manage as a person. He was a bit of a scamp, but it was a lot of fun,” McKenney told Playbook. “He was self-effacing. He enjoyed life. He loved life, loved people, and it came through.” They describe him as a politician not driven by partisan politics in the way that many in the modern political class are — he wanted Canadians to be better off and its democratic institutions to be strong. “He chose that over power, if you will, and, and I think that that's lacking today.” — Lost more than a leader: JENNIFER HOWARD, chief of staff to NDP Leader JAGMEET SINGH, described Broadbent as a “tremendous friend to Jagmeet and helpful to him, especially in the early days of Jagmeet’s leadership.” In 2019, Jagmeet’s first federal campaign, he and Ed did an event at Ottawa’s Lansdowne farmers market and Howard described it “like campaigning with a rockstar.” “There were so many people that remembered him and came up to talk to him.” She tells Playbook he was “unfailingly generous not just with his mind,” but with his “time and his attention and his compassion,” and when the party needed him, he came to “remind us of our jobs and our values, and that we had to not get distracted by the show of politics.” “There isn't anybody else like that in terms of an elder statesperson in the party who I think will be able to do that now.” — Memories: NDP MP DANIEL BLAIKIE remembers giving a House of Commons speech on electoral reform not long after he was first elected, not the marquee event of the day, but Broadbent had followed it and reached out to him to tell him to keep up the good work. “I was impressed at his humility and willingness to reach out and offer support and advice,” he tells Playbook — always available to leaders and caucus and remained “very, very present” for them. “Ed's passing really isn't just about his legacy as leader.” He was known by MPs throughout the years to pop in for caucus meetings every now and then and to speak out on issues. Former NDP MP PEGGY NASH, who has served on the Broadbent Institute board, remembers him coming to speak to a caucus meeting where he championed a book called “The Spirit Level,” and left her with the impression he “never stopped pushing to try to inspire people that we could do much better.” — They don’t make ’em like that anymore: Former Sen. JIM MUNSON, who had covered Parliament Hill as a news reporter in the ’70s and ’80s, called him a “great debater” of his time. “He was a political sparkplug. He brought energy and new ideas to the Hill. He was always good for a quote … with substance, and I think that's what is lacking today,” he tells Playbook. “You always respected Ed Broadbent.” — Related reading: JEFF GRAY gives Broadbent’s obit the feature treatment in The Globe and Mail – which includes an interview with him.“I had never prewritten an obit before. I saw no reason not to phone up the subject of one and interview them, other than the obvious awkwardness,” Gray tweeted. “He asked me what the story was, and I told him. Lengthy pause. Then, he gabbed for hours …” | 
