To some, it no doubt seems somewhat indulgent, in the same category as the endless self-congratulatory behavior that Hollywood is given to each year during awards season. To those who come to know the men and women who run an organization like the Empire Club, it is a well-deserved acknowledgment of the hard work, sacrifice, and pure commitment that so many of the past leaders of the Club have demonstrated over the years, a commitment that demanded the development of extraordinary time-management skills, and the tacit agreement of both their employer and family. What is extraordinary is how so many of these past leaders continue to serve the Club even after their term as president is completed, a clear indication that this is a labor of love, a belief that bringing leaders to explain their policies and programs to Canadians is something that is fundamental to the well-being of our democracy. There are always conflicts and tensions along the way, and each president over his or her term will often be questioned on the choice of speakers, of sponsors, even of head table guests. These minor annoyances are far outweighed by the deep conviction that the work they are doing is important, a small part of what our forefathers liked to call “nation-building”.
Past Presidents have been honored almost from the beginning of the Club’s history, sometimes through an annual dinner, sometimes at the Christmas lunch, sometimes in special events held around the City. Furthermore, the Club was well aware of its important vocation from the beginning of its history, although early meetings were closed affairs for like-minded people as witnessed in an early meeting of the organization on February 4th, 1904, during which Captain A.T. Hunter spoke on why the Club was so important to the City and indeed to the entire country. Here is a passage from that speech:
“I wish to thank you for my admission to this Society, which I think offers uncommon opportunities for a man of peaceful temperament. There are other excellent patriotic dining organizations. There is the splendid Canadian Club of Toronto, whose initial Dinner I attended, and being pressed for an opinion, expressed with the frankness of a common Canadian a number of opinions, some of which I then held, and others of which I thought would be novel and interesting to the new organization. They never invited me again.
There is also the Anglo-Saxon Union, wider in its scope than our own Empire Club, inasmuch as it welcomes not only British subjects but American subjects. But such a Union I do not think as good for our purposes as this organization, in that it offers no opportunities except for useful blandishments. You cannot freely express your opinion of the wisdom and profundity of English statecraft when some American is present to interpret your words as a compliment to himself. It is the glory of this Empire Club that it is magnificently organized for both beginning and ending those family quarrels which make home life dear to us, and with whose progress we suffer no outsider to interfere. I take it as an opportunity not to be neglected that each of us can here meet with a large body of citizens loyal to the Empire, and with whose general and particular opinions he can vigorously agree or differ and whose judgment he can vehemently admire or despise.”
It can seem shocking if taken out of context that early meetings were not open to anyone but those fitting a certain profile, but this is a reflection of the times. If Americans were not particularly welcome at the Club, as fictionalized in a recent episode of CBC’s popular detective series “The Murdoch Mysteries”, neither was another far more prominent group of society…women! This was acknowledged by Empire Club President Robert L. Armstrong when he welcomed Indira Gandhi to the podium in 1973 and had a moment of reflection realizing publically that the world’s largest democracy was electing women to the highest office in the land while the Empire Club of Canada and others were just starting to let women into the room!
“As an aside, the chauvinistic males of the Empire and Canadian Clubs have only emancipated women to admit them to membership within the last two years, and as recently as Monday of this week, a similar emancipation has taken place in the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Toronto.”
Each President of the Empire Club was a product of his…and later her…times, and each had to decide what was worth keeping from tradition and what fights needed to be fought for change. Each brings an entirely new and unique skillset to the table, and this regular rotation of diverse talent into the President’s seat allows the Club to progress and at times even be progressive in nature. This week, as we honor immediate Past President Andrea Wood, many will be remembering the unique combination of compassion, team spirit, and fearlessness that made her such a great attribute to the Club. She faced each and every challenge with a smile and had a way of making everyone around her believe that the work they were doing was important. Following in the very large footsteps of previous leaders Noble Chummar, Robin Sears, and Verity Sylvestre, she managed through her very human approach to tackle some difficult issues and make them work and did it in a way that always looked effortless. I couldn’t have asked for a better mentor, and watching Andrea in action was always a great lesson in humility and how to get things done without creating waves. I am truly thankful for that, as I’m sure so many presidents have been thankful to those who went before them. As to members and the general public, they only hear about the inner workings of the Club if there is an issue, and Andrea made all of this a seamless process that continued to grow the Club and extend its reach as a result.
This is why the Empire Club thanks its Past Presidents each year, especially the Immediate Past President. A pure labor of love, done out of the belief that the task at hand is important for our citizenry, is a noble gesture that cannot be compensated monetarily but deserves our respect and our gratitude. So thank you, Andrea, and thank you to all of the great men and women who went before you. Someday in the future, our descendants may smile as they read one of our ( or more importantly our guest’s) speeches, as we smile when we read the 1904 musings of Captain A.T. Hunter, but everyone will understand that these were in the context of their time and important reflections on the nation’s life at that point in history. And each Past President, like Andrea Wood, took the Club forward with the times and ensured that it would continue as one of Canada’s perennial and iconic institutions.
