CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY

My dear friends, hello.

One of my first memories with Bill Davis is when I was five years old at a Grey Cup game in Montréal. I’m sure none of you have heard this story before.

I was sitting between Bill and my dad.

My dad – who you probably know wasn’t much of a football guy – asked the then Premier of Ontario to explain the game to me.

Perhaps that’s why, to this day, I’m much more fond of football than I am of baseball, which is a game my father repeatedly tried to explain to me.

Of course, Bill, as a player himself – in high school and later with the UofT Varsity Blues – truly loved the sport.

Just like he loved politics.

In fact, I’d argue that he loved politics even more.

Little did I know back then that football and politics have many things in common.

You work as a team towards a shared goal, and come up with strategies to help you get there.

Bill’s goal was always to help people.

That’s why he loved politics: because he knew it was there that he could get things done.

And that’s what Bill Davis was all about: getting things done.

When we lose someone, we often say that the person stays with us in our memories.

For his family, Bill will always be a husband, a father, a grandfather, and a great-grandfather.

And for millions of Ontarians and Canadians, his memory is still with us through what he built.

Bill’s commitment to service and hard work lives on through his wonderful family, including his granddaughter, Kathleen, who I am fortunate to have on my team. Fortunate not just because she’s brilliant, but because she also shares great stories about her grandfather.

And he also lives on through his legacy.

He built important infrastructure that people still use today.

He established TVO, and championed the founding of several universities and the creation of Ontario’s network of community colleges, while keeping front of mind the importance of both official languages.

Bill also played a major role in the patriation of the Constitution.

He worked with my father to bring forward concrete change and uphold our shared values, like diversity and human rights, through the entrenchment of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

Bill Davis was very much a visionary.

I reflected on that as I left Glasgow yesterday, where world leaders came together to chart a path forward on global climate action.

Because it was Bill who helped lay the foundation of strong environmental policies that still protect our beautiful country today.

And as was pointed out, he created Canada’s first-ever environmental land-use plan, and Ontario’s first environment ministry.

Whether it’s in public education, health care or transit, these investments in physical and social infrastructure helped build communities where people felt secure in the knowledge that they have opportunities to succeed, generous communities where people welcomed newcomers.

Because those things aren’t unconnected – and the world could learn a thing or two from that kind of leadership today.

It is this visionary leadership that many will remember when they think of Bill.

Not to mention, his commitment to promoting women to leadership roles.

In 1972, he appointed the first woman cabinet minister in Ontario history, Margaret Birch.

By appointing the first woman cabinet minister in Ontario history, Bill set an example for others to follow.

And it helped to inspire more girls and women to enter politics.

Of course, those are just a few examples.

But Bill Davis’s legacy is so immense not just because of what we can read in the history books – it’s also the values that he held.

While it’s no secret that my father and Bill didn’t always see eye to eye politically, that didn’t prevent them from sharing a strong friendship rooted in mutual respect.

And when it mattered, Bill put partisanship aside in favour of pragmatism and statesmanship.

In an increasingly polarized world, this should be a lesson for all of us.

I will always fondly remember my conversations with Bill, from that day at the football game, to the many many times in recent years as a Prime Minister.

He would call me up and we would connect.

He was always happy to offer his wise counsel and share his keen grasp of human nature, even if he never failed to remind me that, when it came to politics, I was philosophically misguided.

And I am sure he has repeatedly told at least half the people in this room that they are that as well.

It is yet another example of how he always put what he could offer to his country above any partisan interest.

Bill famously said “bland works”, strategic advice at which I was hopelessly inept in trying to follow.

But of course, this was just another example of his humility and humour.

Because he was actually bold and decisive just in a very effective low-key sort of way.

Of course, his kindness, balance, decency, and calmness were anything but bland.

On the contrary, they are extraordinary qualities and values we should all aspire to share as Canadians.

Your family, your loved ones, and your friends miss you dearly, Bill, and so does a grateful country.

Thank you.