11 prominent Canadians pay tribute to Nelson Mandela, from Conrad Black to Brian Mulroney

“It’s true what they say of Mandela. In all of our various conversations, there was never a word of acrimony, of rancour. I’d be ready to rhetorically kill all and any of his detractors, past and present, and he’d smile indulgently, treating me, in the gentlest of ways, as a disgruntled adolescent. I could never get over the kindness, the decency, the generosity with which he viewed the world. All the world.”
—Stephen Lewis, Canada’s former UN ambassador, writing of his personal connection with Mandela

“It’s so sad that he’s left us. But for us, it’s important that we can still celebrate his life.”
—Jeff Kugler, principal of Nelson Mandela Public School in Regent Park, where the teachers and students paid tribute last night

“Nelson Mandela’s enduring legacy for his country, and the world, is the example he set through his own ‘long walk to freedom.’ With grace and humility, he modelled how peoples can transform their own times and in doing so, their own lives.”
—Stephen Harper, prime minister of Canada, in a statement from the PMO

“It is a rare individual whose reputation for wisdom transcends time. Nelson Mandela, who died today at the age of 95, is one of them. New Democrats join others around the world in mourning the loss of this exceptional man.”
—Thomas Mulcair, leader of the official opposition, speaking to reported on Parliament Hill

“Nelson Mandela will forever occupy a place in the hearts, minds and imaginations of the entire world. #madiba”
—Justin Trudeau, Liberal leader, on Twitter

“He was a greater leader of an idealistic movement than he was an actual leader of a country. But, he was a tremendous moral leader and we don’t have so many of them in secular life…He was a tremendously overpowering personality in a totally unpretentious way, a little like the late Pope John-Paul II.
—Conrad Black, writer and former media baron, speaking of Mandela at the David Foster gala 

“It’s a kick in the steamer that he’s gone, but he was always there to show the way…He managed to get the people [of South Africa] to remain calm, not to hate—and that was quite extraordinary. I can’t share my experiences [in South Africa] because, frankly, I am really, truly overwhelmed with his loss…He never lost his dignity. You can’t say that of many people.”
—Barbara Amiel, columnist and journalist, speaking of Mandela at the David Foster gala

“His magnanimity to opponents and generosity to all gutted South African politics of any possible malice, bitterness and retribution, and built bridges of reconciliation instead. One needs only look north to the pain and tragedy that is Zimbabwe today to see a very different future.”
—Brian Mulroney, former prime minister of Canada, writing his own tribute to Mandela for Sun News Network

“He was one of the great personalities I’ve met in my life…A very simple person, not complicated, soft talking and a good sense of humour. And an extremely pleasant chap to talk with…When we made the decision not to [participate in the Iraq war], he was very complimentary to Canada and to me…[His] mark on public life will be forever.”
—Jean Chretien, former prime minister of Canada 

“As a student of history and a huge believer in the power of the human spirit, I know his life will continue to serve as a beacon for change, throughout South Africa and around the world.”
—Kathleen Wynne, premier of Ontario, in a statement from her office

“It is very sad news that we just learned of the passing of Nelson Mandela. You look at someone who has spent [27] years in prison and he had no animosity—that’s what you call a true man. And the world will miss him—every country, every city he touched.”
—Rob Ford, mayor of Toronto, speaking to  reporters at city hall

(Images: Kugler: OISE; Lewis: AIDS-Free World/Wikipedia; Amiel, Black: CBC/screenshot; Harper: WEF/Wikipedia; Mulcair: Jonathan Alard/Wikipedia; Trudeau: Twitter; Mulroney: A1C LYNCH/Wikipedia; Chretien: Michael Ignatieff/Wikipedia; Wynne: Canadian Film Centre; Ford: city of Toronto)