Open this photo in gallery: New Democratic Party MP Dick Proctor during Question Period in Ottawa in 1998. Tom Hanson/ A talkative passenger chatting with his seatmate on a flight caught the attention of someone sitting across the aisle. The loquacious traveler was Andy Scott, the federal solicitor-general, who engaged in a lively discussion with his seatmate about various public matters. The nearby listener was former reporter Dick Proctor, an NDP member of Parliament, who furiously jotted down notes from a conversation he could hardly believe. He would later use those notes to confront the minister during Question Period, accusing him of having already made up his mind about an inquiry into security at an Asian Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit held in Vancouver back in 1997. Mr. Scott firmly denied that allegation. Angered Liberals criticized the ethics behind revealing details from an overheard chat. Mr. Scott, who initially claimed he couldn’t even recall whether his seatmate was male or female, questioned Mr. Proctor’s honesty. Ultimately, Mr. Proctor, who passed away at 85, was proven right when the ensuing uproar resulted in Mr. Scott resigning from cabinet eight weeks after their flight. What transpired on Air Canada Flight 8876 from Ottawa to Fredericton on October 1, 1998, would be clarified when the seatmate, Frederick Toole-a respected lawyer from New Brunswick-provided an affidavit for the RCMP’s Public Complaints Commission regarding APEC security. As it happened, Mr. Toole was a fellow Liberal and had known Mr. Scott for around 15 years when they sat together on that flight. He informed the solicitor-general that he had witnessed troubling footage during an APEC protest showing an older RCMP officer-identified as RCMP Staff Sergeant Hugh Stewart-using pepper spray against peaceful demonstrators. “To this, Mr. Scott said, ‘Oh, Hughie,’ or ‘Oh, you mean Hughie,’ and commented to the effect that ‘Hughie’ might have to take ‘a,’ or ‘the,’ ‘hit’ or ‘fall’ for that,” stated Mr. Toole in his affidavit. Mr. Proctor also overheard their discussion about the RCMP’s investigation into Airbus airplane sales to Air Canada back in 1988. He recalled hearing Mr. Scott describe former Newfoundland premier Frank Moores as “crooked as a snake.” Both Mr. Scott and Prime Minister Jean Chrétien accused Mr. Proctor of fabricating these claims. Open this photo in gallery: Former prime minister Jean Chrétien delivers remarks during a keynote address in Ottawa in 2023. Spencer Colby/ Outside of Parliament, Mr. Proctor labeled Mr. Scott a liar and dared him to file a defamation suit so they could resolve it under oath. Meanwhile, several privacy and government experts weighed in; most agreed it was unacceptable for a minister to be so indiscreet as to be overheard at all. When he resigned, Mr. Scott stated at a news conference that his inflight conversation “made me vulnerable to accusations that I had prejudged the outcome” of the inquiry while also claiming he couldn’t remember anything about his seatmate despite how hard it may seem to believe now. Six years later he returned to cabinet under Prime Minister Paul Martin with another portfolio. Mr. Proctor enjoyed a long career as a journalist and worked as both a union organizer and strategist alongside prominent NDP figures like Ed Broadbent and Jack Layton along with Saskatchewan premier Allan Blakeney and Ontario opposition leader Stephen Lewis. He often joked about writing speeches for Mr. Lewis-a man recognized as one of the greatest speakers of his time-before adding wryly that “nobody writes Stephen’s speeches.” Mr. Proctor also served as a publicist for CUPE (Canadian Union of Public Employees) and worked as a researcher for NUPGE (National Union of Public and General Employees). For several years he lived in Cuernavaca, Mexico while managing Canadian Labour Congress projects aimed at helping independent unions across Latin America. After witnessing NDP suffer significant losses during the federal elections of 1993,
he decided it was time
to run himself.
He successfully outpaced seven other candidates
to secure party nomination
for Palliser,
a new district including Moose Jaw
and parts of Regina.
“Dick Proctor is moving from shadows into limelight,”reported the .” He then triumphed over Reform candidate Alene Tanner
and controversial lawyer Tony Merchant representing liberalsin the general election held three years later,while admitting “I’m not exactly famous.”
